TRAIN-INC Achieving social inclusion of people with intellectual disability through an innovative cooperative learning training approach Erasmus Project

Project Title

TRAIN-INC Achieving social inclusion of people with intellectual disability through an innovative cooperative learning training approach

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Disabilities – special needs; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

The reality for many persons with intellectual disabilities in Europe is that obstacles, such as discrimination and exclusion, still prevent them from being able to enjoy their full and equal rights and to participate fully in their communities as defined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Excluded from the labour market, many of them live under the poverty line, which only deepens their social exclusion and marginalization. Since 2010, the economic crisis has affected all Europeans citizens, and even more severely the already vulnerable group of persons with disabilities.

In line with the situation pointed above, the general objective of the project was to increase the employability degree of people with intellectual disabilities in order to improve their personal autonomy through the social and employment inclusion.

To achieve the project objectives, the partnership has worked in developing the following specific aims:
1) Improve social inclusion training itineraries existing for people with intellectual disabilities, transforming them into innovative itineraries based on the use of the methodology and resources of cooperative learning, which allowed people with intellectual disabilities to be active agent in the teaching- learning process.
2) Train the staff responsible of training people with intellectual disabilities to implement cooperative learning methodology, its resources and instruments.
Six partners have formed the association (i.e., consortium), trying to reflect the heterogeneity of the European Union, and having extensive experience in working with the target group of the project. The association combines the experience of SNRSS and MEDATLANTIA, working with social enterprises having intellectual disabled employees, with the experience of AMICOS (coordinator) and BAPID and with the work of PSIHO and GRAO VASCO, as associations of disabled people, with large experience in the training of their target group and with no previous experience in the management of Erasmus+ project. The distribution of the activities was based on the different fields of expertise of the partners.

The activities developed in the project framework were:
– Development of specific training itinerary in the pre- work competences in order to get a work placement, that also includes the key aspects of the work competences needed to keep a job.
– Development of specific training itinerary in work competences needed to create self-employment with support.
– Development of accessible software by applying easy reading reality for learning skills for obtaining and maintaining employment or self-employment.
– Implementation of a Training of trainers (online due to COVID-19).
– Implementation of a transnational Blended Mobility (online due to COVID-19) of learners, for people with intellectual disabilities.
– Development of pilot tests with final beneficiaries and trainers (local pilot training sessions and transnational blended mobility).

The main results achieved through the implementation of the above mentions activities are:
– 1 Training contents about pre- work competences in order to get and maintain a work placement developed;
– 1 Training contents about competences for create self-employment with support developed;
– 1 Accessible software (easy reading) for learning skills for obtaining and maintaining employment or self- employment developed;
– 1 Emotional archive: Video of experiences and opinions of the participants of the pilot sessions created;
– 1 Prototype of a specific business model of entrepreneurship developed;
– 1 Short-term joint staff training event (transnational online training of trainers’ event);
– 1 Blended Mobility (online) to test the training context and resources, based in cooperative learning methodology, developed in a transnational framework;
– 5 Local pilot training sessions with final beneficiaries and trainers, to test the training contents developed but also, to disseminate the project results developed;
– 4 Multiplier events in Poland, Bulgaria, Portugal and Romania;
– 1 Multiplier event (2 workshops & 1 Final Conference) held in Spain, in order to disseminate and capitalize project final results.

The applied methodology has been based on the permanent cooperation of the project partners, applying the premises of cooperative learning for the implementation of the project and the development of the intellectual outputs.

Project Website

https://amicos.org/train/activities-and-outputs/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 198041,5 Eur

Project Coordinator

AMICOS – ASOCIACIÓN DE FAMILIAS DE PERSOAS CON DISCAPACIDADE PSÍQUICA DAS COMARCAS DO BARBANZA E NOIA & Country: ES

Project Partners

• SC PSIHOFORWORLD
• Association for Social Cooperatives
• MEDATLANTIA CONSULTORIA EUROPEA S. COOP. GALEGA
• Associação Grão Vasco
• Bulgarian Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (BAPID)