Workplace Inclusion and employmeNt opportunities for youth WITH aUtism Erasmus Project

Project Title

Workplace Inclusion and employmeNt opportunities for youth WITH aUtism

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 2020

Project Topics

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

Project Summary

WIN-WITH-U project aims to improve the inclusion of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in the working system, by raising awareness of firms about the issue through the provision of targeted training and by supporting people with ASD in their process toward employment. A main goal is to spread a culture and a practice for the implementation of inclusion systems for workers with ASD , based on the enhancement and valorization of their abilities. People with autism tend to be comfortable in workplaces when rules, routines and schedules are adhered to, and can become uncomfortable or distressed when they are broken, disrupted or changed by employers. These aspects derive from their symptoms as impairments in social interaction/communication, restricted interests and repetitive behaviour. They put them at a disadvantage in the European increasingly communication-oriented and service-economy job market. Autism is a state covering a wide range of conditions that reflect neurological differences among people, and creating barriers that affect their lives at work especially because some of them do not speak. However, experts assert that autism is not just or always a disability, it is a difference, and it can have positive aspects often overlooked. As showed by several empirical contributions, most of the people affected by these disorders possess distinctive skills concerning audiovisual memory, computing capability, analysis of repetitive actions and have greater potential than other workers in specific fields requiring great attention to details, accuracy, consistency, routine tasks. These characteristics make them able to provide great value added in methodical and technical fields of application. The basic principle of WIN-WITH-U project is to turn special characteristics of people with autism to better account, not only to break the entry barriers to the working world but also to consider them as a basis to build the firm competitive advantage. Firms involved in many industries like for example ICT sector (systems management, software testing, or computer science), if correctly trained about features and abilities of young people with ASD, can valorize them, giving new opportunities of employment. WIN-WITH-U will develop an innovative and open training approach, including two learning paths, several advanced tools and will be focused on specific target groups: people with ASD and entrepreneurs/managers who want to improve their knowledge on ASD.
WIN-WHIT-U Project will deliver: O1-Learning Methodology document focused on the target groups of the project to improve the inclusion of young people with ADS; O2-The WIN-WITH-U Resources Integrated Area O3-A set of learning modules composed of thematic presentations, reading materials, engaging exercises and examples of best practices.
All WIN-WITH-U materials and tools will be available on the e-learning platform. WIN-WITH-U training package will be delivered in 5 languages of the project consortium (BG, EN, IT, DK and FR).
The project will provide, in particular, two different and specialized learning paths:
1) the first learning programme aims to enable young individuals with ASD to successfully enter the working world by providing access to good jobs and supporting them to understand a workplace. It will provide online training, in 5 languages, on different sectors, including ICT and soft skills, environmental and behavioural aspects usually needed in a company. It will include also multimedia tutorials correctly adapted and customized to the specific needs of people with ASD. 2) the second training path gives a set of information to employers and employees and addresses human resources management topics with a focus on workers with ASD. Specific learning materials and online training about autism topic will be provided to advise them how to support young people with ASD securing the adjustments they may need for time management/organization and prioritization, communication/speaking, social interactions, workloads management, etc.
The online training activity will involve a large number of young people with ASD (4000) and entrepreneurs/managers and their teams (4000) coming from the Partners’ countries. Methodology and tools will be arranged considering the specific learning characteristics of the target group. The expected impact of the project is a change in the system so that the involvement of workers with ASD will be not left to the spontaneous initiative of a few positive companies, but it will become a praxis incentivized by training activities able to help firms to catch opportunities and advantages as well as to manage issues in a simple way. The long term benefit is to increase the number of autism-friendly organizations, engaged in this relevant corporate social responsibility initiative.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 449911 Eur

Project Coordinator

LUISS LIBERA UNIVERSITA INTERNAZIONALE DEGLI STUDI SOCIALI GUIDO CARLI & Country: IT

Project Partners

• EUROPEAN CENTER FOR QUALITY OOD
• AUTISME-EUROPE AISBL
• SPECIALISTERNE FOUNDATION
• UNIVERSITA CAMPUS BIO MEDICO DI ROMA