Employability+: Tools to empower integrated groups

The objective of this TC is to support associations that, throughout Europe, work to foster the personal and professional growth of people with disabilities with the aim of making them competent, autonomous and attractive workers for companies. We especially address youth workers who work daily in close contact with the users of these associations. In particular, we aim to work around those skills defined by the ETS competence model, born from the work of expert
trainers and considered fundamental for anyone who works in a structured way with young people. One of the main objectives of this TC is to apply this model in the context of work with people with disabilities and in particular in the context of working on their employability. Our intent is to register this TC within the European policies concerning work and employment and therefore to contribute to the pursuit of their objectives.

The activities will be based on the methodology of non formal education with an eye on academic work. In fact, we will
use frontal teaching methods, while taking care of the interactive aspect, to outline the characteristics of the disabilities that we will treat and the main theoretical models that study and propose methods of intervention.
Then, the facilitators will structure non-formal activities and workshops that will lead the participants to place their skills in a space for growth in which they can evolve. This space willmainly consist of group work. In fact, most of the activities will be carried out in groups. Furthermore, at the end of each activity there is a moment of reflection and sharing.
In general, we plan to divide the TC into 3 phases. An initial moment will be devoted entirely to breaking up and forming the group. Subsequently, we will define the objectives and expectations,we will know the characteristics of the disability and the main theoretical models and through the experiential workshop, the participants will enhance their skills and develop new tools. The last phase will be dedicated to the closure of the experience.
However, the most important outcome that we hope to achieve at the end of the course is the ability to integrate the different learned skills between them but above all with the particular life experience of each and with its personal, professional and contextual components. Another important result that we will pursue during the TC is the generalization of the learned skills in the associative contexts of origin. The latest impact is definitely on young people with disabilities,users of associations who strive every day to grow and integrate socially and professionally. Our hope, the result we aim for, is that these new tools, condensed in the youth workers, will give further support to the excellent work they do on a daily basis.