People who face mental health problems (PMH) have one of the lowest employment rates in Europe (20%-30% /UE stats2015) despite the fact that, as research consistently indicates, the vast majority of them want to work as well as improve their skills and competencies. Despite the crucial role of training and employment for the financial, social and psychological well-being of PMH, educators and career counsellors are not trained to deal with PHM. Employers, supervisors and co-workers are even less informed on how to facilitate smooth work insertion and are subject to a variety of prejudices against PHM. IMPE project designed by 6 partner organizations from 5 countries, (France, Greece, Germany, Italy, Spain) aims to improve expertise of mentors of people with mental health issues attending VET training (in class and as stagiaire), work based learning (as apprentices and VET trainees) and work. Professional mentors (VET trainers, career counsellors, coaches) are to be provided with the necessary tools and techniques support PHM during delivery of career guidance and VET training., while mentors on the workplace (employers, mentors, supervisors and co-workers) are to be targeted with guidelines and rising awareness content on how to facilitate work insertion of PMH. More in detail, the project will develop the following IOs: • IO1: A Handbook on facilitating training and work insertion of people with mental health issues; • IO2: E-course on supporting insertion in training and work of people with mental issues addressed to professional mentors (trainers, career counsellors, etc.); • IO3: E-course on supporting insertion in training and work of people with mental issues addressed to not professional mentors (entrepreneurs, co-workers, supervisors)
People who face mental health problems (PMH) have one of the lowest employment rates in Europe (20%-30% /UE stats-2015). Mental illness still carries a heavy stigma and a significant portion of society, including employers and the labor market in general, are not informed and educated on this issue. Most trainers, educators and career counsellors are not trained to deal with PHM. Employers, supervisors and coworkers are even less informed on how to facilitate smooth work insertion and are subject to a variety of prejudices against PMH. IMPE project " Improving Mentoring for People with Mental Health Problems in Training and Work" proposes to equipe mentors and other actors supporting people with mental health issues with tools in terms of training and integration into labor market. IMPE partnership represented by a panel of actors with complementary expertise (adapted care centers, rehabilitation centers, Support and Work Assistance Establishment, in-company trainers) mobilised their resources, in order to offeran adequate response to: - the needs of professional and informal mentors to have available an effective methodology to support training and labor insertion of PMH. - the need of informal mentors on the workplace to better know how to integrate PMH in the work setting and to overcome their prejudices; - the need of PMH to be effectively supported in VET training and workplace settings, and to reduce the stigma they face in society in general and in training and work settings in specific; A pilot phase with 191 professional mentors and 211 informal mentors from FR, IT, ES, GR, DE, USA, UK, SA, MY, allow to the consortium to adapt and validate the IMPE tools that are being developed as part of the project: • IO1: A Handbook on facilitating training and work insertion of people with mental health issues - available in the partnership languages (EN, FR, ES, IT, GR, DE) on the project website: http : / / www.impe-project.eu/documents-reacutesultats.html • IO2: E-course on supporting insertion in training and work of people with mental issues addressed to professional mentors: http://www.impe-project.eu/destineacute-to-professionals.html • IO3: E-course on supporting insertion in training and work of people with mental issues addressed to informal mentors: https://www.openlearning.com/courses/impe-manuel-pour-les-ants-informels The 3 tools (manual and online courses) are developed in 6 learning units for a better coherence: - Individualized Placement and Support model, - Cope with everyday routine, - Empowerment and stress reduction, - Creativity and mental health, - Development of social skills, - Networking. IMPE values non-formal training based on the ECVET system which promotes the recognition of skills from the definition of learning objectiv