CONTEXT: Awareness on social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities has been increasing thanks to measures and actions adopted at both National and European levels. The EU promotes the active inclusion and full participation of disabled people in society. Giving them the opportunity to do an internship abroad can represent an important chance to enrich their cv and to present themselves with greater determination in the face of potential employers. Unfortunately, due to lack of specific information regarding the mobility of people with disabilities, many VET providers are led to imagine that having people with disabilities involved in a mobility project entails a great deal of extra work and possible complications. At the same time there is a poor connection between the world of VET organizations and that of NGOs focused on people with disabilities, therefore the number of people with ID engaging in a mobility is still very low. OBJECTIVES: To promote the social inclusion and to facilitate the transition to the labor market of people with intellectual disabilities thanks to their involvement in transnational mobilities: • define a set of standards and tools for the design of transnational mobility paths for people with intellectual disabilities (ID); • update the skills of VET providers in the design of transnational mobility projects involving people with ID; • promote the involvement of people with ID in international mobility paths; • promote the collaboration between VET providers, hosting SMEs and NGOs for the social inclusion of people with ID. TARGET: VET providers, managers, projects designers; people with mild intellectual disabilities and their families; ACTIVITES: A1 Project management A2 Monitoring & Evaluation A3 Dissemination A4 Impact assessment O1: PR.E.S.T.O. Training Course for VET Providers O2: PR.E.S.T.O. Video C1 Joint Staff Training Event C2-7 Blended student mobilities in Italy, France, Spain, Greece INTANGIBLE RESULTS: • definition of tools and of a training course for the design of transnational mobility paths for people with ID; • updated skills of at least 22 people (staff of VET providers) in the design of transnational mobility projects involving people with intellectual disabilities; • greater self-esteem and social competences of at least 12 people with mild intellectual disabilities • increased awareness on the need to involve people with intellectual disabilities; • increased collaboration between VET providers, SMEs and NGOs. MAIN TANGIBLE RESULTS: O1-R1 PR.E.S.T.O. Guidelines O1-R3 PR.E.S.T.O. Training course design, contents and material O1-R5 6 Blended mobility projects O2-R1: PR.E.S.T.O. Video C1-R1: Short Term Joint Staff Training Event C2/7-R1: 23 days of mobility in for 12 trainees C2/7-R2: 12 Learning Agreement and Quality Commitment signed IMPACT ON DIRECT PARTICIPANTS: • 22 VET project designers will acknowledge tools and methods useful to design mobility projects involving people with disabilities, giving greater strength to their curriculum vitae and job competences. • 12 people with intellectual disabilities and their families will come out of a cycle of exclusion and demotivation, thanks to a highly engaging on-the-job learning experience and to the acquisition of news skills and competences will increase their autonomy and capacity to enter the job market IMPACT ON PARTNERS AND ASSOCIATES: • Close cooperation between organizations of different nature and business models will open new synergies in different fields, resulting in the development of innovative ideas to be carried out as a growing Consortium after project’s conclusion; • The project’s expected impact is to grow the expertise of all parts involved and put them in the position of national promotors of international learning opportunities involving people with disabilities, having the chance to exploit all tailored training tools tested during the project. • Partner VET Providers: will be able to offer an innovative training path to their audience, widening their educational offering, increasing their penetration to the market and improving their expertise and reputation. IMPACT ON TARGET GROUPS AND RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS: • Development of a strategic methodological “bridge” between the two separate worlds of VET and on-the-job training (animated mainly by VET providers) and that of social inclusion of people with disabilities (animated by NGOs and social cooperatives); • VET Project designers will be able to design work-based international mobilities involving people with disabilities and will therefore enrich their professional skills and provide greater opportunities for their organizations.
Main aim of the PR.E.S.T.O. project was to promote the social inclusion of people with intellectual disability, by facilitating their entrance in the job market thanks to their involvement in international internship mobilities. Specific objectives of PR.E.S.T.O. were: • Defining a set of standards and tools for the design of transnational mobility paths for people with intellectual disabilities; • Upskilling the staff of VET providers enabling them to implement mobility projects involving people with intellectual disabilities; • Fostering the involvement of people with intellectual disabilities in work-based international mobility paths by raising awareness among VET managers, operators, NGOs and families of people with ID and among SMEs hosting interns; • Increasing the collaboration between VET providers, SMEs and NGOs for the mutual design of transnational mobility opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.
Disabled people - especially those with Intellectual Disability (ID) are often discriminated in the workplace. Giving them the opportunity to engage in an international internship can represent an important chance to enrich their CV and can help them enter the job market with a higher level of self esteem. Unfortunately, most VET centers have the bias that involving disabled people in a mobility project entails a great deal of extra work and many complications, so the number of disabled people involved in international mobilities is still very low. Partners applied for the PR.E.S.T.O. project to tackle this issue by providing guidance and tools to VET providers, thus facilitating the involvement of learners with intellectual disability in international mobilities. PR.E.S.T.O. addressed the following needs: • lack of connections between VET centers and NGOs working with disabled people • resistance of VET managers and VET project designers to involve people with intellectual disabilities in their mobility projects • lack of knowledge and tools that could help VET providers plan and implement the mobility of people with disabilities • lack of opportunities for people with disabilities to undertake international work experiences.