Compendium - Good practice in employment of people with ...ec.europa.eu/employment_social/soc-prot/disable/socpart/comp04_en.pdftraineeship. On its completion and fol-lowing successful

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F R A N C E

TrainingC o m p e nd i u m — G o o d p r a c t i c e i n e m p l o y me n t o f p e o p l e w i t h d i s a b i l i t i e s

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Guidance for disabled students

With financial support from AGEFIPH(Association de Gestion du Fonds pourl’Insertion Professionnelle des PersonnesHandicapées), Tremplin operatesupstream of integration and targets dis-abled students with at least the bac-calauréat certificate.

The ‘Tremplin’ (‘Springboard’) Association, set up in January 1992 by fourindustrial groups (Elf, Total, Rhône-Poulenc and IBM), now includes 16major undertakings in the business district of Paris, La Défense

The association takes steps to promotetheir future integration into the world ofwork: they can draw up a coherent careerplan at an early stage, thanks to summertraineeships in Tremplin partner firmsfrom the first year of university, and copewith the world of work as it really is,making choices appropriate to their situ-ation.

Tremplin also endeavours to improvetraining for young disabled people byoffering them two-year apprenticeship

contracts following on from their sec-ondary school leaving certificate (bac-calauréat). They are assigned a personaltutor within the company and on com-pletion of the contract have better qual-ifications and greater experience of thedemands of working life.

By bringing together 16 undertakings ina joint, practical project, Tremplin helpsto raise their awareness with regard tothe employment of people with disabili-ties, overcoming their prejudices andthus reinforcing their own integrationpolicies.

ContactTremplin

Ms Claude MalléjacTour Neptune

Place de Seine 20

F-92082 Paris La Défense

Cedex 20

Tel. (33-1) 46 98 09 58

Fax (33-1) 46 98 02 26


Training

Training/employment contracts

C o m p e nd i u m — G o o d p r a c t i c e i n e m p l o y me n t o f p e o p l e w i t h d i s a b i l i t i e s

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A.Co.Se.R (Azienda Consorziale ServiziReno) is a Bologna service company, asubsidiary of SEABO, a firm specialising inwaste recycling. Before becoming part ofthis group, A.Co.Se.R had recruited fivedisabled employees and their jobs weresecured in accordance with Italian law onthe hiring of disabled people.

These five disabled employees wererecruited by a joint committee comprisingtwo company representatives and threetrade union representatives. The localhealth office issued them with a suitabil-ity for work certificate. A.Co.Se.R couldhave just adhered strictly to the statutoryrecruitment quota. However, it offeredadditional training to the disabled peo-ple, cooperating with the ComitatoBolognese Formazione Giovani Lavoratori

Italian law has required companies to take on people with disabilities since1992. Regional bodies cooperate in integration schemes under vocationaltraining programmes. One SME recruited, trained and then hired five disabledpeople.

(Bologna Committee for the Training ofYoung Workers) and the ServizioInserimento Lavoratori Handicappati(Disabled Workers’ OccupationalIntegration Service), two bodies report-ing to the city of Bologna Labour Office.They also cooperated with the localhealth office in developing a scheme forintegration and setting up vocationaltraining.

During the training, the programme man-agers, the Comitato Bolognese FormazioneGiovani Lavoratori and SILH, regularlyassessed the five disabled people andtheir progress in integration. In order toimprove working conditions, they deter-mined what ergonomic alterations wereneeded and proposed appropriate solu-tions. After two years’ training, the dis-

abled employees (mainly hard of hearing)were recruited to fill a number of differ-ent posts (environment supervisor,administrator, secretary, customer ser-vice).

The scheme was subsidised by the City ofBologna’s Assessorato alla FormazioneProfessionale which comes under theRegional Council. The latter deals withvocational training through its differentdepartments. The training/employmentcontracts are the fruit of close coopera-tion between all these various bodies. Contact

A.Co.Se.R

Ms Edgarda degliEsposti

Via Boldrini 8

I-40121 Bologna

Tel. (39-051) 25 39 47

Fax (39-051) 25 35 86

I T A L Y


Training

The measures taken by Tecno are part ofa pilot project — launched by the USSL(Unità Socio-Sanitaria Locale) — to pro-mote the integration of physically andmentally disabled people into the worldof work. Under an agreement signed byTecno Varedo and the trade unions, dis-abled workers were recruited and fol-lowed a special three-month trainingcourse. A team of psychologists andoccupational physicians provided backingfor the persons concerned throughout thetraineeship. On its completion and fol-lowing successful assessment, threeapplicants have been taken on underopen-ended contracts.

Milan: traineeships in woodworking


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Tecno Varedo is taking part in a scheme for the occupational integration ofpeople with disabilities. After a three-month traineeship, two disabled workerswere recruited in 1990 and a third in 1992.

The initiative was subsidised by theLombardy Region and supported by theOccupational Integration Service (SIL),so the woodworking establishment didnot incur any additional expenditure.

The scheme should also be seen in thelocal context: the local authorities in thearea covered by the USSL have set up theConsorzio Desio-Brianza per la FormazioneProfessionale; the main activity of thisassociation is promoting the integrationof disabled people in companies. TheConsorzio organises and funds vocationaltraining to help the persons concerned atall stages of jobseeking and integration.

It also contacts potential employers,putting forward disabled people who canbe integrated into their teams in variouskinds of jobs depending on their skills.

ContactTecno Varedo

Mr Francesco BianchiTel. (39-0302) 45 00 72

Fax (39-0302) 45 00 80

I T A L Y


Training

All together now


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Until recently Siemens, a firm with12 000 employees including 280 dis-abled people, had never trained morethan two disabled people at a time. Atthe initiative of the trade unions and theworks council and in cooperation withthe Federal Social Assistance Office, ninedisabled people are now undergoingthree and a half years’ training in electri-cal engineering.

To qualify for the training, the deaf peo-ple sat a number of tests to get an ideaof the work they would be expected todo. Thanks to this first contact the firmwas able to assess the safety measuresand adjustments to be made to receiveand train so many disabled people atonce.

The training combined theory and prac-tice, being organised at a vocationaltraining centre and a company workshop.All the participants were offered an hourof speech therapy a week and two sign

Training nine deaf people all together for the first time: this project waslaunched by Siemens in the electrical engineering industry in Austria. One ofthe special features of this high-tech training was a sign language comprisingtechnical terms.

language interpreters were also recruitedto provide assistance during the courses.

Something was still missing, however, formany technical terms cannot be trans-lated into sign language. The disabledemployees developed new signs andwrote them down for use with futuretrainees. Subject contents and teachingmethods were also reviewed, updated andmade more accessible to all participantswhether hard of hearing or not.

Funded by the European Social Fund, theVienna Federal Social Assistance Office,Lower Austria, Burgenland and Siemens,this scheme is still under way and pro-vides the disabled people with their ownincome, helping them to learn and prac-tice a high-tech skill. The economicaspect should not be overlooked: theseemployees are no longer receiving Stateassistance. Siemens wants to be in thevanguard and hopes that this trainingscheme will serve as an example and

encourage other companies to take simi-lar steps for disabled people.

To ensure the success of the initiative,the administration had to be dealt withby an outside organisation, not Siemensitself. The company would have beenunable to fund the additional adminis-trative work by itself so the Federal SocialAssistance Office was responsible formanaging the operation.

On completion of their training, all thedisabled people will find work inSiemens, Vienna or in its sister plants.

ContactSiemens

Mr KripelSiemensstr. 88-92

A-1210 Vienna

Tel. (43-1) 17 07

Fax (43-1) 170 75 34 40

A U S T R I A



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””

‘Our training was organised at the same time as that of our hearing colleagues. It was not easy at the outset.

The theory was more of a problem for us than the practice. We use simpler sentences so the handbooks were too

complicated for us. In conjunction with the Siemens trainers, we modified the courses and the subjects in such

a way that we can now follow the theoretical training better.

At the beginning we had difficulties in communicating with non-deaf colleagues. The communication difficul-

ties also sometimes gave rise to quite hilarious situations. In the meantime some of our colleagues have even

learned sign language. They have become more patient. There is a very good working atmosphere.

I like the training a lot. Once it has come to an end, I will have the opportunity of a job with Siemens or in

a sister factory. My dream is to acquire further qualifications and train in computer technology.’

Young apprentice with Siemens, Vienna


Training

Gardeners: trained and hired


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The city of Vienna is providing trainingfor young people with ‘green fingers’ whohave completed their education in spe-cial schools. The scheme, organised inconjunction with the trade unions, isintended for young disabled people withdisadvantaged social and cultural back-grounds whose future working lives aremore often than not uncertain. The cityof Vienna selected eight trainees for thescheme with a view to taking on thosewho are suitable to work in the city gar-dening departments.

The city of Vienna is giving youngsters leaving special schools the opportunity to learn thepractical and theoretical aspects of gardening, training them for simple manual work as under-gardeners. The aim is to provide practical training in gardening for two years and facilitatesubsequent recruitment. Eight future under-gardeners are currently in training.

Two specialists are in charge of the train-ing. During the two-year course the par-ticipants work for a few months at a timein the different city gardening depart-ments. Practical courses are also organ-ised to help them in dealing with variousroutine tasks, for example, in dealingswith administrative services. The cost ofthe training (wages for apprentices andtrainers) is met by the city of Vienna andthe Labour Market Service (AMS).

When the scheme was launched someprejudice was encountered among thestaff who thought that the young peoplecould not produce a high standard ofwork. The trainees’ willingness and theiraptitude for gardening rapidly dispelledany such doubts. The disabled youngstersare fully integrated and respected by alltheir colleagues.

ContactStadt Wien

Rathaus

Ms HolzingerPersonaldirektion

A-1082 Vienna

Tel. (43-1) 400 08 16 45

Fax (43-1) 400 09 98 16 09

A U S T R I A


Training

The Instituto do Emprego e da FormaçaoProfissional (IEFP) is a public bodyreporting to the Ministry of Employmentand Solidarity. Its officials are specialisedin the training and occupational integra-tion of people with disabilities and theywork in close cooperation with thenational social security services, experts,trade union organisations and undertak-ings. The firms involved in this project,which operate in highly diverse fields,regularly send the Institute a list ofvacant posts.

Making integration easier


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Training programmes and traineeships in companies: the Lisbon Employmentand Vocational Training Institute organises measures for disabled people.Launched in 1982, they are still meeting with some reluctance.

When a disabled jobseeker contacts theInstitute, a team of psychologists anddoctors assesses capacities for work. Ifthe person meets the recruitment condi-tions, the firm is contacted and a meet-ing is organised. It thus operates as arecruitment agency. However, if the dis-abled person is considered unsuitable fora vacant post, the Institute organisestraining adapted to his particular situa-tion. Traineeships in companies (trialperiods: on their completion their skillsare assessed) help the disabled people tomove gradually into the world of work.

The Institute also runs major awareness-raising campaigns among employers. Thefinancial contribution from the socialsecurity services, which meet the costs ofthe traineeships, can be a decisive factorin the recruitment of disabled people.

The Employment and Vocational TrainingInstitute also supplies the equipmentneeded to adapt worksites and worksta-tions. In 1996, 28 disabled jobseekerssatisfied these recruitment conditions.Nine of them have set up their own com-panies.

ContactIEFP

Claude JacquesAv. 5 de Outubro, 124

Lisbon

Tel. (351-1) 356 38 01

P O R T U G A L


Training

Gaining experience by practising a trade


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A small car repair firm, which also mar-kets cars, has decided to introduce peo-ple with disabilities to the trade of carmechanics. The Lousã association for therehabilitation of people with disabilities(ARCIL) has selected the people for theproject on the basis of a search profile.Three people are undergoing theoreticaland practical training on the basis of acontract concluded between the firm anda training establishment. They are inte-grated in the firm and are confronteddirectly with practical tasks. Psycho-logists, therapists, social workers andinstructors are involved in this trainingwhich takes up 40 hours per week over aperiod of four years.

ARCIL, a body catering for the needs of people with disabilities, works in partnershipwith local companies in order to promote vocational training for disabled people andalso their integration into the world of work. By way of example, ARCIL is workingtogether with a car repair firm to develop the practical skills of three people who havedisabilities. The aim is thereby to ensure their integration in the world of work.

The working conditions and workinghours reflect the special needs of the dis-abled trainees. Through their contactswith their colleagues and the customersthey are fully involved in the life of thefirm and are acquiring work discipline.The technical instructor is supported ateducational level by a representativefrom a rehabilitation institute. Evalua-tions both of the disabled trainees and ofthe training institute allow the progressof the initiative to be monitored.

The cost of training and the allowancespaid to the disabled workers are met byARCIL. The association also encouragesindependence among the disabled people

in the use of their own or public trans-port: it subsidises their costs. This initia-tive, which offers scope to disabledtrainees to become familiar with theworld of work, called for measures toraise awareness in the garage’s staff offour. It is also worth noting that in thepast the person in charge of this smallfirm has himself been responsible fortraining people with disabilities.

Contact ARCIL

Ms C. SilvaCabo do Soito

P-3200 Lousã

Tel. (351-39) 99 03 00

Fax (351-39) 99 19 89

P O R T U G A L


Training

Until 1997, there were two Swedishnational lottery institutions, SvenskaPenninglotteriet and Tipstjänst. The twothen merged, giving birth to SvenskaSpel, which has 468 employees.

The Swedish national lottery organisationhas been developing a policy for theemployment of the physically and men-tally disabled for around 15 years.Recruitment and training were the spe-cific measures in which this State organi-sation wanted to invest in partnershipwith the employment office and the tradeunion associations. Six disabled workershave been recruited under the initiativeand provided with in-house training.

Training by colleagues


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Recruitment, training and involvement. This is the approach adopted bySvenska Spel, the Swedish national lottery body, which has recently integratedsix disabled employees into its team of more than 450. The experiment has gonesmoothly, and the new recruits feel totally fulfilled in their work.

This training did not require the presenceof specialists. The new workers were inte-grated by their colleagues. Their wageswere covered by State subsidies duringtheir training period, at the end of whichSvenska Spel offered them open-endedemployment contracts. Two wheelchair-users work in telephone sales, and twoemployees with hearing difficulties workin the financial department. One personwith a mental disability distributes theinternal mail, while the other works in thesecurity service. Few ergonomic modifica-tions were needed, and the few changesthat had to be made did not involve a sig-nificant cost.

The institution did not need to resort toan awareness programme. Integration atthe workplace was a formality, with theable-bodied looking after the disabled ina completely natural manner. Anotherpoint to mention is that Svenska Spel hasalso reintegrated workers who havebecome disabled during their workinglife.

ContactAB Svenska Spel

Ingemar KempNorra Hansegatan 17

S-62180 Visby

Tel. (46-8) 26 35 00

Fax (46-8) 26 36 30

S W E D E N


U N I T E D K I N G D O M


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Taking a broad approach to disability,Unison’s initiatives for disabled employ-ees are carried out in cooperation withdisabled people’s associations and spe-cialists, for example, sign-language inter-preters.

Unison wants to improve access toemployment for disabled people and alsohelp them retain their jobs. To that end itorganises union and vocational trainingprogrammes for its disabled members. It

Unison, a British trade union representing public-sector employees, has 1.3million members, 12 % of whom are disabled. The union has beenimplementing policies on behalf of its disabled workers since 1985 throughits union and vocational training programmes.

also makes sure that all necessaryergonomic measures are taken to facili-tate their integration at the workplace.All Unison’s activities are funded from itsmembers’ subscriptions and privatefunds.

This British trade union regularly pro-motes awareness-raising campaignsthroughout its branches on the integra-tion of disabled people into working life.Moreover, the force lent by Unison to

these schemes (its membership contin-ues to expand) is a sign of the strengthof a broader front leading the way tovocational integration for disabled peo-ple. The United Kingdom as a whole ismaking good progress in integrating dis-abled people into the world of work.

ContactUnison

Gloria ForanDisabled Member Officer

Equal Opportunities Team

20 Grand Depot Road

Woolwich

London SE18 6SF

United Kingdom

Tel. (44-181) 854 22 44

Fax (44-181) 316 58 04

In unison


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Compendium - Good practice in employment of people with ...ec.europa.eu/employment_social/soc-prot/disable/socpart/comp04_en.pdftraineeship. On its completion and fol-lowing successful