The project will contribute to improve the employ-ability chances of adults with disabilities by providing them a modular training to become (co-)trainers. The new skills and knowledge will broaden their job opportunities and expand their possibilities for active and fulfilled lives. At the same time, participants will be able to support their peers towards the labour market and also those professional awareness raising equality training / awareness programs designed for employers, HR professionals, decision makers that are proven to be a major step towards successful employability of the population with disabilities. The partnership develop 2 Intellectual Outputs to reach the above written goals: 1. The “Train the trainer” guideline is designed for professionals and adult educators/trainers to prepare them to train participants with disability (target group) to become professional co-trainers or peer supporters. 2. Train the co-trainer training curriculum for disabled co-trainers Both IOs are tested during the project: IO1 as a short-term joint staff training and IO2 as a multiplier events at every partner country. Testing: IO1 Partners organise a learning/teaching/training activities during the project period. Professionals, educators, trainers of the project partners learn/teach each other how to train a disabled person to become co-trainer. Partners organize a 5-day learning/teaching/training activity for the experts of partners who will later on train the disabled trainers. (at least 1-2 professionals /project partner) The aim of this activity is to prepare professionals to effectively provide a modular training for the disabled participants to prepare them to become co-trainers in awareness raising trainings later on. Testing IO2 All partner organize multiplier events for disabled adult learners (participants of the co-trainers program willing to become co-trainers in awareness raising trainings) to test the Intellectual Output2 (developed co-trainer training program). The project results and outcomes will be widely disseminated via project websites, local partner websites and multiplier events. All partner organize multiplier events for NGO-s, universities (if they have disabled students), educators, trainers and interested professionals working on related fields (10-15 organizations) at the end of the project to share its experiences about the process and testing of the training program for disabled co-trainers. Guests of the event will be mainly teachers, adult educators , professionals from related universities, ngo-s working with disabled clients. Project website will be developed, and the partnership use other online platforms to share the outcomes, experiences and result.
To meet these needs nine experienced organizations – from North, South, East, West of Europe – working on the field of disability created the partnership: Salva Vita, Hungary, AESD Romania, CPRG, Portugal, ESAT, France, FONIX, Norway, PUZW, Poland, THEOTOKOS, Greece, WECIL, UK, TOLERANCE, Hungary. Partners aim was to elaborate an innovative modular training program to develop social and work-related competencies of disabled adults..To achieve that with these new skills and knowledge, they will broaden their job opportunities and expand their possibilities for active and fulfilled lives. They will be able to support their peers towards the labor market and also that professional awareness raising equality trainings designed for employers, that are proven to be a major step towards successful employability of disabled adults. At the same time to extend and develop the competences of educators and other personnel who support adult learners, to train them: how to support and motivate disabled people, how to create inclusive accessible learning environment for disabled adults with different needs, goals, background, abilities, learning styles, how to encourage the learners and enable them to raise levels of their achievement.
Disabled people desire and need for work is strong, but the percentage of their employment rates are low across Europe. (50.8% in 2019). Presenting disabled people as competent professionals is a fundamental part of working towards a positive change. Salva Vita Foundation initiated project partnership for a long-needed development work: to improve and broaden the employability chances of disabled adults, by providing them a modular training to become professional co-trainers or peer supporters. This project activity was identified as a missing tool for organizations on European level. The project partners share the idea, that trainings concerning disability issues, to be authentic, should be presented by disabled people, wherever it is possible. This way they can demonstrate a positive image and offer an understanding of disability issues on a different, complex, more personal level. The project partners applied for Train the Competent Erasmus+ project to elaborate an innovative methodology for Train the Competent program to be able to support their thousands of service user’s career path with this new tool. The project addressed: diversity, equality, non-discrimination, and more effective social inclusion of disabled people.