l.e.d learning environment for disabled users reference number : 517891-llp-1-2011-it-grundtvig-gmp

L.E.DLEARNING ENVIRONMENT FOR DISABLED

USERS Reference Number : 517891-LLP-1-2011-IT-GRUNDTVIG-GMP

WP 2 – Comparative study and indication for

the traning model

National study – Situation in Slovenia

M. Sc. Andreja KitekVesna Knuplež

Dublin, 29. 5. 2012

Data on disabled persons in Slovenia

• According to general estimate, in Slovenia there are about 8% of disabled persons, i.e. about 170.000 inhabitants that fall under all kinds of disability.

• At the end of 2011 there were about 30,400 disabled persons that were included into some kind of employment activity (i.e. 3.8 per cent of working population), while around 17,500 of them are unemployed.

• According to Slovenian average, the share of unemployed disabled persons in Slovenia amounts to 15%.

• More than 50% of all unemployed disabled persons belong to the category of men reaching more than 50 years of age, and mostly they are unskilled workers with no education.

• On average, the disabled persons are less or underpaid and included in low-income jobs.

• Most of them are employed in processing industry.

Regulations which apply to the employment of disabled persons

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act (ZZRZI), this Act regulates the right to vocational rehabilitation and defines other forms, measures and incentives for their employment as well as methods for their financing.

The Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act (ZIMI), specifies that disabled persons must be given equal opportunities of inclusion into programmes of education at all levels, as well as lifelong education in their living environment. Of course, they also have the right to appropriate adaptations in their educational process.

The Pension and Disability Insurance Act, defines the rights related to pension and disability insurance, as well as the right to vocational rehabilitation.

The Labour Market Regulation Act, regulates the field of employment and active employment policy measures which apply to professional qualification programmes, national vocational qualification, on-the-job training programmes (duration 3 - 6 months), public works etc. The disabled persons also belong to the priority groups for inclusion into programmes described on the next slide.

Training programmes which apply to disabled persons is governed by the

following regulation

Action Programmes for Persons with Disabilities (API) 2007 - 2013 specifies the need for guarantee of equal access to labour market and employment without discrimination in working environment that should be open, inclusive and accessible for disabled persons).

Action Programmes in the Urban Municipalities that obtained the title 'Disabled friendly city' which defines programme and financial support for the local environment in developing programmes of training, public works and development projects and programmes.

The Social Entrepreneurship Act (ZSocP) aims at encouraging the access to training and employment possibilities of vulnerable groups on the labour market. It is intended for the development and expansion of market programmes, for education and training of vulnerable training groups working in the field of market activities, and for creation of new jobs for vulnerable training groups working in the field of developed market activities.

Employment of the disabled

According to the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act the disabled persons get their employment:

• within the normal working environment

• by the help of supported employment which entails working in the normal environment together with the needed professional and technical support for disabled persons, employers and working environment itself (i.e. by providing the necessary adjustments to the working place). In case of low working results, a disabled person is also entitled to the wage subvention

• in the companies employing disabled people that are obliged to have at least 50% of disabled workers among their employees; such companies are exempt from paying taxes and other liabilities related to the established wage policies

• as a form of sheltered employment within an employment centre that entails employment of disabled person at the working place and withing the working environment that are adjusted to the abilities and needs of the disabled persons that cannot be employed at the normal working place; sheltered employments are provided by the employment centres for disabled persons who achieve working results between 30 and 70 per cent of usual working norm; they are also entitled to the wage subvention according to the given legislation.

Employment of the disabled

• Sheltered employment centres deal various kinds of production, such as fabrication work that includes the assembly of small parts for automobiles, work in food production and processing, craft, farm work - as well as service works, such as gardening, companionship, cleaning, photocopying). In Slovenia, there are 28 employment centres that provide employment for approx. 300 disabled persons.

• Social inclusion programmes that aim at supporting and maintaining the working ability of disabled persons who are not employable due to their disability.

• Public works as a form of active employment policy that include the creation of specially adapted working places intended for disabled persons that encourage social and employment inclusion, as well as improve skills and working abilities. Of the total 5,500 included disabled persons there are 600 of them who are included in public works.

• Promotion of the Development of Social Entrepreneurship

Education and training of disabled persons

Main problems after the transition from educational into the employment process:

• High expectations after the completed programme of education (reality, low competitiveness at the labour market)

• Choice of appropriate educational facility for disabled persons - scarce opportunities (too little employment possibilities in relation to programmes that are intended only for disabled persons)

• Period of time between the completed education and inclusion into various kinds of employment (longer unemployment during the transition period)

• Special programmes of employment

• Appropriate education of mentors and persons in charge of work

• Need for additional education and training of employed disabled persons

Innovative Learning Approaches

Services of vocational rehabilitation and their standardsService A: Counselling, encouraging and motivating of the disabled persons for more active roleService B: Preparation of an opinion on the level of working capacity, knowledge, work habits and vocational interestsService C: Help in accepting of one's disability and information on the opportunities for inclusion in training and employmentService D: Help in selecting appropriate vocational goalsService E: Development of social abilities and skillsService F: Help in looking for appropriate work or employmentService G: Analysis of specific workplace and working environment of a disabled personService H: Preparation of a plan of adaptations to the workplace an the working place of the disabled person

Innovative Learning Approaches

Service I: Preparation of a plan of required equipment and means of workService J: Training at an actual workplace, in the chosen occupationService K: Monitoring and profesional help in the education and trainingService L: Monitoring the disabled person at his/her workplace upon employmentService M: Simultaneous assessment of the rehabilitation processService N: Assessment of the performance of disabled employees

Most frequently performed services involve the combination of J, A, C, D, E and F which is combination of training at the concrete working place, next to the motivation and formation of suitable vocational aims, development of social skills and abilities, help with acceptance of one's own disability and looking for appropriate working place with corresponding employment.

Education and training for performance of supported services - helping the disabled

persons and persons with employment limitations (intended for professional workers

The programme itself is performed as a form of training at the worplace. Consequently, we would like to educate our professionals for proper execution of supporting education - mentors, trainers, and employment motivators.

The programme consists of:

• theoretical part (20%)

• practical part (80%): Education in working cabinets and working organizations, education for appropriate way of looking for and choosing the right jobs, supervision.

This educational programme is designed for warious professional workers that take part in the processes of vocational rehabilitation - psychologists, defectologists, working therapists, rehabilitation technologists, social workers etc.

"Social inclusion of especially vulnerable groups" programme

The programme is performed within the framework of public works which stipulates the employment of its participants under special conditions. The content of the programme consists of help with the execution of local development projects, as well as:- Help with the preparation of promotional/informational material- Help with the processing of databases and records- Help with the website editing/maintenance- Help with the digitalisation of various documents and material- Work as agreed with the employer

Work and tasks are, of course, adjusted to the abilities, capabilities and skills of each participant, work is not standardised. The main aim and objective of the programme is providing administrative support to the local organisations that deal with disability issues.

Programmes of education within the project "Green Valley Learning Workshop - the way to

knowledge, experience and employment"

Within the framework of the project "Green Valley Learning Workshop - the way to knowledge, experience and employment" we find four learning workshops covering different fields of interest:

1. Archivist training programmeThe programme has consisted of mutually intertwined theoretical and practical part. The participants acquired knowledge from numerous fields of interest:

• basic concepts and legislation regarding archives, familiarisation with internal rules and regulations

• dealing with business documentation,

• saving of documentary material and data protection,

• capture and exclusion of documents,

• data entry/input, preparation of records, as well as checking of entriesFinally, the participants have been professionally educated for work with documentary material and records.



2. Educational programme - learning workshop in the field of farming Theoretical part of education has consisted of:

• farming and its possibilities in the local environment,

• fruit growing (lopping, plantations with intense growing…),

• growing vegetables (preparation of vegetables, rotation of crops, planning, ecological farming, soil preparation…),

• marketing,

• stockbreeding,

• practical training in sheepshearing,

• use of preparates.

Practical part of education has included:

• farming tasks and work (cleaning of agricultural areas, plantation,…),

• maintenance of equipment, tools, farming machinery,

• making of simple tools and aids.



3. Educational programme 'assistant gardener'

Theoretical part of education has consisted of:

• proper communication at the working place

• learning about health and safety at work

• differentiation and separation of different kinds of waste

• getting familiar with the use of tools and equipment

• growing of different plant and taking care of them

• knowledge about fertilizers and fertilization

Practical part has been divided into 3 phases, from the simplest to the more complicated ones, each of them lasting for about 2 months.



4. Training programme in making simple wooden products

Theoretical part consists of getting familiar with the basics of joinery, basics of handling with the joinery tools, appropriate use of tools and learn to make simple wooden products.

Practical part of education takes place in a production site where the participant gets familiar with joinery machines and tools, learns about the correct use of safeguards and processes of production together with their basic stages. Finally, he is educated for certain types of work, such as:

• help with furniture packing,

• help with furniture polishing,

• help with different processes of wood preparation,

• help with furnishing.

Practice firm

The programme is intended for the disabled and other unemployed persons. The duration of programme is 6 months, 8 hours a week, from Monday to Friday.

The education includes the following areas:- Marketing department- Accountancy department- Secretary and Human Resources department

The aim of this programme is also a revision and broadening of computer skills and foreign languages skills. The participants also receive their education in the field of job search and successful presentation at the labour market.

Training workshop for assistant joiner

The trainees acquire basic theoretical knowledge in the field of wood quality and wood materials, the basic construction and design of joinery products, practical skills in wood processing and adhesion, surface treatment of wood and wood materials. The final result is the preparation and construction of joinery product.

Professional qualifications of the participants are the following:

• achieving an adequate level of practical qualification in the given occupational field,

• combining professional and theoretical knowledge,

• following safety and health regulation,

• choosing an adequate approach and technological procedures needed to complete the tasks related to the design and aesthetical outlook of the product,

• rational use of energy, material and time.

In the programme, special emphasis is placed on communication - i.e. co-operation and communication within the group.

Advanced work training programme

The programme consists of three modules:

The advanced work training module is directed predominantly towards the acquisition of direct working experience, acquiring and broadening of the basic work habits, and proper relation to work.

Social skills development module is directed towards the development of co-operational skills within the group by the given programme of work; the participants also learn how to resolve the conflicts and how to represent themselves.

Personal barrier resolution module is organised as a group form of education with the possibility of individual work.

Palm programme

At first, the programme was conceived as training programme that later on developed into a form of public works, yet today it functions as vocational centre where the disabled persons have possibility of employment.

Practical training consists of:

• restoration of damaged books and binding magazines for elementary schools, high schools and other educational institutions,

• Photocopying

• computer skills training (internet, e-mail, graphic design programmes, imaging, Word, Excel)

• training related to the proper use of photocopying machine, document shredder, spiral binding machine, work with electric scissors and lever shears, work with vertical drilling machine and machine for adhesion of self-adhesive foils

• basic education in bookbinding

• introductory education in the field of manual paper production and manual printing.

Programmes of pre-vocational training and preparation for employment

Programme modules:

- On-the-job training module or help offered at a given workplace- Development of social skills and abilities module- Psychosocial rehabilitation module:

- Programme related to technology and safety at work- The field of recognition of one's own potentials and career

planning - Basic knowledge and skills in health education- Development of communication skills needed for job search.

Thank’s for

your attention.