What we want to build There is a strong need for a comprehensive E-Portfolio for people with disabilities to present themselves at the labour market in a better way. It comes with an intelligent Learning Management System (LMS), that will able them to alter their E-Portfolio at all time, everywhere and in the way they want it. To use that E-Portfolio effectively, we will build a platform, especially for hiring employers and people with disabilities, to find each other. Of course, there will be an extensive manual and a special training course to use it properly. Context Many people with a disability still have no, or strongly reduced, entrance to the open labour market. It doesn’t seem to be the unwillingness of organizations, but rather their ignorance of the possibilities and the incapability of the people to present themselves in a proper way. One of the most important reasons why people with a disability fail to find a suitable job, is that they don’t know how to present themselves to be eligible for the jobs (that even sometimes are especially created for this target group). What we want Wouldn’t it be wonderful when: - people with disabilities would have the same confidence in finding jobs as people who do not have that extra handicap? - jobseekers with disabilities and employers would find each other as easy as it happens at the ‘normal’ labour market? - employers would have the real picture of people with disabilities, as people who can contribute as well as people without the extra handicap? We work together There are six partners spread over Europe, with the same dream to enhance the position of people with disabilities at the common labour market. PHH Academie and ISAS from The Netherlands, EASPD from Belgium, Atempo from Austria, BCLL from Bulgaria and Viva Onlus from Italia. A strong team with all the competencies we need in this project. And if we need extra hands or brains, we have an extensive network. The Intellectual Output of SEE 2020 We will build what is needed: 1. An E-Portfolio framework which consists of two parts: a. Personal profile model: this includes all relevant information of the person with a disability; b. Several scripts for recording all relevant information needed to prove skills and competences for different types of disabilities. This makes the E-portfolio way more extensive than a regular CV. 2. Based on the output of 1a (dynamic interactive E-portfolio) a tool (manual) will be developed for organizations that are involved in supporting people with disabilities to enter the open labour market. 3. A training module for the use of the E-portfolio for professionals working in the area of supporting people with disabilities. The training module will be made available through real life teaching program and as an E-learning program. 4. A Learning Management System (LMS). The digital combination of Supported Employment and the E-portfolio framework, makes it possible that all relevant new information (e.g. their latest acquired skills and competences) can be added everywhere and at all time by the people themselves and/or their jobcoaches. This makes the individual E-portfolio constantly up to date. This is of great importance since people in these positions often keep learning and improving themselves. 5. A platform for jobseekers and employers, where they can find each other. Employers can upload their vacancies and jobseekers with a disability, can apply for the vacancies that they are qualified for, with their E-Portfolio. The platform forces the employers to put the vacancies in a way that every jobseeker can immediately check if that position is possible for him/her. The platform is only available for jobseekers with a disability! The platform will be web-based and accessible with an app. The way we work Working with many partners asks for a strict way of working. We will establish a Management Board Committee with all partners. Every partner will be responsible for one of the IO’s and will appoint a Product Manager, who will meet digitally every month at the ‘Monthly Monday Morning Meeting’. Every Quarter they all will send in their progress reports and every six month there will be a Trans-national meeting in one of the countries of the partners. At these meetings our Associated partners are also welcome. What we want to achieve We dream of a world where people with disabilities have the same chances and possibilities as people without them. The E-Portfolio will definitely help them in this dream, as will the ‘recruiters’ Platform. It is especially made for them to meet hiring employers. In the long run We hope and expect that this system will enhance the position of people with disabilities at the common labour market. It will improve the self-esteem of people with disabilities to enter the labour market and it will open the eyes of employers to see a whole new group of skilled workers. And that will happen all over Europe because we will promote it actively.
What we want to achieve is a world in which people with disabilities* have the same opportunities and possibilities in the labor market as people without disabilities. * People with a disadvantage in the labor market and society because of many possible reasons. Sometimes it is a physical disability, sometimes a mental disability and sometimes both. Sometimes it is people with a (long-term) distance to the labor market for no apparent reason. They are people who need support in finding suitable work.
Many people with disabilities are still excluded from the open labor market. It is widely recognized that participation rates need to increase significantly. It seems to be not so much the unwillingness of organizations, but rather their ignorance of the possibilities and the inability of people with disabilities to present themselves properly. Years of experience with job coaching, based on the method of Supported Employment (SE, supported employment), has proven that people with disabilities can function very well in the open labor market. Mutual ignorance of opportunities, lack of means to promote themselves and perhaps even distrust in a successful outcome create a gap. There is a strong need to close this gap.