As underlined by Cedefop (2019), in presence of a mismatch between the learners’ expectations and the reality of the profession, “work-based training can also be discouraging and lead to drop-out”. This situation could be comprehensibly more challenging for disabled individuals, that often find themselves in a condition of strong distress on the workplace. Following the recommendation of the European Disability Strategy 2010-20 of the European Commission, ACTIVET aims to tackle this issue, increasing disabled individuals’ participation on the workplace and their self-awareness of their competences, through “information exchange and mutual learning”. ACTIVET aims at providing a strategy for guaranteeing a stronger access of disabled individuals to employment, thanks to the development of tailor-made educational and training pathways that respond directly to their specific needs and expectations. The quality of WBL schemes is even more relevant for people with disabilities, pushed away from the labour market because of their vulnerability. More specifically, ACTIVET recognised that even today’s disabled workers are forced to face transitions between jobs, organizations, and occupations more frequently than ever before. This goal will be implemented thanks to the definition of a pathway to achieve the following objectives: - Fostering the skills of trainers, mentors and job counsellors interested in the employability of vulnerable people. Through skills development, in-company tutors, VET trainers and job counsellors will be able to deliver customised WBL projects for disabled people, in order to compensate their limited work capacity. - Developing new disability Management Skills acquired through the project, including pedagogical and andragogical methods, will allow the design and management of tailored training schemes, supporting the effective match of individual abilities, skills and needs with the constraints of different workplaces. - Design and test new activities aimed to foster the participation to WBL of individuals with different basic activity difficulty (cognitive, psychological, linguistic, regarding sight, hearing and motor disabilities), which will take part to the testing and will provide a feedback to the entire realization of project outputs, thanks to an interactive platform that will enable them to communicate constantly their perception of the project-in-the-making ACTIVET plans to achieve these results through the development of the following outputs: - a comprehensive multimedia product, composed by weblogs, creative contributions, video-diaries and a portfolio that will set the basis for the whole project. The research will provide a transnational insight on the situation of WBL for individuals with disabilities, outlining a number of good practices that could provide a reference point; the video materials will be realized by disabled individuals, providing their ideas and insights concerning the main barriers that make employability difficult for them and what could be a strategy to overcome them; - standardized training pathway for in-company coaches which will provide them a set of skills to interact appropriately with disabled apprentices (eg: preparing learners for on-the job experience, keeping them motivated, implement effective accessibility, compensation or replacement strategies) and “training-employment organizations”(eg: ensuring effective cooperation to encourage integration and permanence in the workplace); - a consistent piloting activity, that will be conducted by 10 trainers and 20 individuals with disabilities in each of the involved countries, for a total number of 60 trainers and 120 users. - a handbook containing guidelines for the recognition and validation of informal and non-formal learning acquired in the framework of WBL schemes by disabled people. The handbook will also allow the exportability of the methodology used within the context of the project for the validation of nf/if competences. Furthermore the project develops a transnational multilateral partnerships involving social partners, VET/Tertiary Education providers, companies, association promoting disabled people inclusion and job counsellors, thus contributing to promote high quality WBL experiences for disabled learners involving a wide European network.
The ACTIVET project aimed to achieve a significant positive impact on individuals with disabilities in the work environment. We sought to empower them by fostering self-confidence, teamwork skills, knowledge of the job market, communication abilities, resilience, and creativity. The project aimed to overcome barriers to employment and enhance inclusion. By training in-company tutors as "job coaches," we aimed to provide effective support and guidance, promoting autonomy, integration, and work inclusion. Through a pilot course and working groups, we aimed to create practical and tailored learning experiences, aligned with occupational competency standards. Our objective was to refine materials, share best practices, and address the specific needs of disabled individuals. The project also focused on recognizing and validating skills and workplace experiences. Our ultimate goal was to create lasting positive change, promote inclusive work environments, and provide opportunities for disabled individuals to thrive.
We applied for this project because we recognized the significant potential it held to transform the work environment and work-based learning (WBL) experiences for individuals with disabilities. The project's outputs, specifically IO1 - The ACTI(n)VATE and IO2 - MYCOACH, directly addressed the needs of disabled individuals by empowering them with self-confidence, teamwork skills, knowledge of the job market, communication abilities, resilience, and creativity. We applied for this project because it aligned with our belief in promoting inclusion and empowering individuals with disabilities in the workforce. The project's outputs addressed the specific needs of disabled individuals by providing them with the necessary skills, support, and recognition to succeed in the job market and work environments. The project's outputs directly targeted these needs by fostering empowerment, providing support and guidance, facilitating tailored learning experiences, and improving recognition of skills. By addressing these needs, the project aimed to bring about positive change, promote inclusion, and enhance the employability of disabled individuals.