A Valueable Network Erasmus Project

Project Title

A Valueable Network

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 vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Inclusion – equity; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

CONTEXT OF THE PROJECT

IDENTIFIED NEEDS
0,1% of European citizens are now living with ID (prevalence of people with Down Syndrome is 1/2000).
Average life expectancy of these individuals has increased; it is now around 60.
The right to work is getting crucial to ensure their independent living and self-determination. People with ID face a much higher unemployment rate than the rate applied to the general population.
Furthermore, the vast majority have never experienced any form of vocational training and this is a further limit to their access to the labour market.
Hospitality companies and VET providers for people with ID are two “worlds” which are still strangers.

DATA
According to US disability statistics (2015), only 25,6 % of the labour force with ID is employed (76% of non-disabled ).
In UK (2016) people with ID have the lowest employment rate among all disabilities (only 23,9%). (House of Commons briefing paper 7540, 14/12/2016).

OVERALL OBJECTIVE
Facilitate the access of European citizens with ID to VET and employment in the hospitality sector, through long- lasting collaborative partnership between VET agencies and employers.

PURPOSE
Increased capacity of both sides of the network-VET providers and hospitality companies- to operate together both atlocal and at transnational level aiming at job inclusion of trainees with ID.

OPERATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Strenghtening the network
Exchange of good practice mainly between VET providers and hospitality organisations .
*Sharing ideas, practices, methods and tools (app for trainees ,videos for their colleagues, e learning for hotel/restaurant managers):
+Focused project meetings and monthly Skype meetings.
+Tutored internships abroad of trainees with ID
*Awareness raising of the managers of partner organisations belonging to the hospitality sector about the opportunity and feasibility of job inclusion of people with ID
+on line training resources
+study visits abroad .

NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS
Main beneficiaries of the project have been:
+ 12 trainees with ID, who had their intership abroad;
+ 12 hospitality managers who took part in the study visit;
+ 30 hospitality managers who attended the learning course.

ACTIVITIES
Strengthening the network
a. Structuring its governance and ensuring its sustainability
b. Facilitating dialogue among the different partners, expecially those belonging to different “worlds”also by promoting exchanges at many levels (managers, professionals and trainees)
c. Drafting guidelines for internships of people with ID at “home” and abroad and study visits of managers to learn good practice.
d. Providing e learning resources for managers and staff about job inclusion of people with ID
e. Promoting internships of trainees with intellectual disabilities in a hospitality company abroad.
f. Organising Study visits of hotel managers to hospitality companies as examples of good practice
g. Producing an e learning course for hospitality managers in 7 languages with evaluation questionnaires.
h. Advertising the network through social media, interviews at the TV and radio, speeches at meetings (UN in NY as well)

METHODOLOGY
Strengthening the network: facilitating contacts among members, ensuring visibility to its members and testing the system through internships and study visits.
Extending the network: diffusion of the Valueable-handing opportunities registered trade mark, to encourage the commitment of managers. Awareness raising of managers of potential members. Agreements with relevant stakeholders.
Vocational training of people with ID: training on the job at “home” and internships abroad. Diffusion of the “On my own at work” app. Training of their colleagues with the videotutorials.

RESULTS ACHIEVED
14 trainees abroad. Instead of 12. Half of them went to Axis Porto and the other half went to Hotel Melià Milano. During the project, the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hamburg made itself available for hosting an internship of two youngsters from Campobasso (Italy).
12 managers took part in two study visits abroad. 6 Italians went to Porto (Axis Hotel) and 4 Portuguese, one German and one Turkish managers went to Milano (Hotel Melià). Thus 2 visits of 6 people were organised instead of three of four people.
30 managers trained with e-learning and coming from 6 different countries

IMPACT OBTAINED
VET providers for people with ID and hospitality organisations got aquainted and established long-lasting partnerships.
More than 100 hotels, restaurants in 6 countries have subscribed the network, got the label (trade mark) and included people with ID within their workforce.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 166964,69 Eur

Project Coordinator

Associazione italiana persone down onlus & Country: IT

Project Partners

• Hamburger Arbeitsassistenz GmbH
• Associação Portuguesa de Portadores de Trissomia 21
• Turilima Empreendimentos Turísticos do Vale do Lima SA
• Az Ertelmi Fogyatekosok Fejlodeset Szolgalo Magyar Down Alapitvany Hungarian Down Foundation
• DOWN ESPAÑA-FEDERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE INSTITUCIONES PARA EL SÍNDROME DE DOWN
• LIBERA UNIVERSITA MARIA SS. ASSUNTA DI ROMA
• ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA CONFINDUSTRIA ALBERGHI