1

Country Mapping – Slovenia

Mapping cooperation mechanisms in Slovenia between employers and vocational education and training

providers in the ICT sector

Andreja Švajger, Aleksandra Denša University Rehabilitation Institute of Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia 2014

Mutual Learning on Skills for the ICT Labour Market for People with Disabilities

This publication is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and

Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013). The information contained in this publication

does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.

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Table of Contents I. Mapping collaboration practices at national level ............................................... 3

1. Contextual information ...................................................................................... 3

2. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) services provided by the author organisation ..... 5

3. The ICT labour market ....................................................................................... 6

4. Description of existing cooperation mechanisms and structures ....................... 9

5. Results ............................................................................................................ 14

6. Gaps, suggestions for improvements and opportunities .................................. 16

7. Conclusions and lessons learned .................................................................... 18

II. Selection of good practices ............................................................................... 19

1. Case Study 1: On-the-job training of 'RJ' in the Prizma D.O.O. Call centre ….19 2. Case study 2: On–the-job training leading to supported employment on the

open labour market: 'AD' in the IT TIM ............................................................ 22 3. Case study 3: Job placement in the open labour market with parallel advice

from VRC: employment of 'NN' in T2 D.O.O. .................................................. 25 4. Case study 4: Successful mainstream employment of 'MM' in T2 D.O.O.

without VET/VR intervention ........................................................................... 28

List of interviewees…………………………………………………………………………30

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I. Mapping collaboration practices at national level

1. Contextual information

Definitions

According to the Slovenian Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons

Act1 (ZZRZI), a person with disability (PwD) is defined as “a person who has acquired the

status of a person with disability in line with this Act or other regulations and a person in

relation to whom a competent authority has, by means of a decision, ascertained permanent

consequences of a physical or mental disability or illness and whose prospects of securing,

retaining and advancing in employment are reduced due to disability substantially.”

Together with the Pension and disability insurance Act (ZPIZ 2)2, ZZRZI regulates the

provision of vocational rehabilitation and employment services to PwD. They are also

provided according to article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with

Disabilities.

According to data from the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS), PwD have in recent

years represented on average 14,9% of all unemployed persons in Slovenia. Among the

active PwD (registered at the ESS), 29% on average are unemployed. This rate has been

increasing since 2008 and reached 36,8% in 2012. From 2010 until 2013 alone, the

unemployment rate among PwD increased by 33%3.

According to current data4, the ICT sector in Slovenia employs more than 20,000 people in

some 2,600 large, small, medium and micro enterprises that provide the following:

telecommunication equipment and services, IT services, hardware, software, equipment

distribution and web services. Statistical data show that the ICT sector was the only sector

that has shown distinct and constant value added growth rate by activities and by GDP5 in

Slovenia in 2013.

Vocational education and training in ICT skills in Slovenia are provided through formal

educational programmes on different levels. There are no VET programmes that would

specifically offer services to PwD. As a result, PwD normally participate in mainstream

programmes with necessary support and adaptations. These are described in the next

paragraph. Some programmes also take place in specialised organisations for children and

youngsters with disabilities, and these need to achieve the same qualification standards as

mainstream organisations. Any knowledge and skills, including ICT, that people develop

through informal learning methods such as self-learning, courses, internet, student work etc.,

can be certified through the National Occupational Qualification system, which is described in

more detail in chapter 3.

1 Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004

2 https://www.uradni-list.si/1/index?edition=201296#!/Uradni-list-RS-st-96-2012-z-dne-14-12-2012 3http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/invalidi_vzv/Mreza_izvajalcev_ZR

_2014-2020.pdf 4 http://www.investslovenia.org/industries/ict/ 5 https://www.stat.si/eng/novica_prikazi.aspx?id=6087

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National context

The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act6 (ZZRZI) defines and

regulates the process and steps for providing vocational rehabilitation (VR) to PwD. It

encompasses “services carried out with the aim of training PwD for appropriate work, of

helping them to obtain and retain employment, to progress within it, or to change career”. It

also introduces the quota system, under which all employers who employ more than 5

persons must employ between 2-6% of PwD or pay a fee to the Public Guarantee,

Maintenance and Disability Fund7. This fund also finances benefits to employers in relation to

employment of PwD, such as wage subsidies, workplace adjustments and workplace

support. According to the ZZRZI, support to employers and PwD employees is also provided

and funded after employment, as well as to PwD in or throughout supported sheltered

employment. Services are provided through the national “Network for vocational

rehabilitation” which covers all PwD target groups across the Slovenian territory. In the 2014-

2020 programme 1 980 PwD will be included in the vocational rehabilitation programmes, as

part of 18 professional teams in their local communities8.

The education and vocational training of PwD is regulated by the umbrella Placement of

Children with Special Needs Act9 This defines methods for providing inclusive education and

training on all levels, including secondary and tertiary levels. Support at primary and

secondary level is provided through the National Education Institute of the Republic of

Slovenia. This mostly includes additional professional help to overcome limitations, barriers

and disorders, physical help (personal assistance) as well as providing adapted methods for

examinations.

Some of the educational programmes (VET) are also provided in specialised centres for

education, rehabilitation and training of PwD, e.g. CIRIUS Kamnik10. There students can also

gain ICT qualifications for jobs such as technological process assistants, electricians,

computing technicians and electro technicians. Adapted education and support is offered to

the most severely physically disabled students who cannot attend mainstream education.

At faculty and university levels, the rights of special needs students are maintained by the

universities and provided mostly through university career centres11 or specialised

counselling student organisations12. The support includes individualised adaptation of the

study programme, tutoring and counselling. Each university member (faculty) provides

support to their students.

As a driving, growing sector, the ICT sector in Slovenia also offers many opportunities for

employing PwD with different kinds of disabilities. Many PwD can identify themselves with

ICT jobs. One certain advantage is the possibility to work from home, telework or combine

the two.

6 Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004

7 http://www.jpi-sklad.si/skladi/invalidski-sklad/

8http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/invalidi_vzv/Mreza_izvajalcev_ZR

_2014-2020.pdf 9 Official Gazette RS, No 90/ 2012; http://www.uradni-list.si/1/objava.jsp?urlid=201290&stevilka=3531

10 http://www.cirius-kamnik.si/en

11 http://www.uni-lj.si/studij/studenti_s_posebnimi_potrebami/, http://www.kc.uni-mb.si/studenti/osebe-s-

posebnimi-potrebami/ 12

http://www.svetovalnica.com/studenti-s-posebnimi-potrebam

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2. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) services provided by the author

organisation

The University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia (URI) is the central rehabilitation

organisation in Slovenia, providing comprehensive rehabilitation programmes to PwD,

including vocational rehabilitation and employment13. The URI employs more than 500

employees, 50 in the Vocational rehabilitation centre (VRC). The VRC provides services in

particular to persons going back to a previous position, or those entering the labour market

after a period of unemployment. Its main referral agencies include health insurance (personal

doctors) and an employment service. Services are conducted by an interdisciplinary team

which comprises an occupational medicine specialist, psychologist, social worker,

occupational therapist, special needs teacher (for blind and partially sighted) and

rehabilitation trainer/instructor.

The VRC operates at 2 major locations: Ljubljana (central Slovenia) and Maribor (with

Murska Sobota and Ptuj units - eastern Slovenia). For unemployed persons, the VRC

provides services with 5-3 teams, which represents 30% of the national network of VR

providers. One of the Ljubljana VRC teams conducts VR for blind and partially sighted

persons for the whole of Slovenia. Approximately 600 PwD participate annually in the VRC

programmes. Their disabilities include physical (trauma, neurological, brain injury,

musculoskeletal disorders, developmental etc.), mental health disorders, and blind and

partially sighted disabilities. Most are between 15 and 55 years of age, with an average

education of 3-4 years of vocational education.

URI provides PwD with training in specific work skills, including ICT. This is carried out by

organising on-the-job training with employers, referring participants to formal VET

programmes or to courses, and preparing them for the National Occupational Qualification.

The ultimate goal of the VR process is employment or another type of social inclusion.

The VR programme starts with a 2 week needs-assessment. The clients are active

participants in this process and contribute their perspective and goals to creating an

individual rehabilitation plan (IRP).

The VR process is applied by case management and empowerment approaches. It is very

much based on on-the-job training (OJT) in a real work environment. This is the main

vocational rehabilitation strategy and cooperation mechanism which is defined by the

national Standards of vocational rehabilitation and employment of PwD in Slovenia14. VR can

last from a few weeks up to 2 years, depending on the severity of disability and on labour

market possibilities. If necessary, clients are included at the beginning in preparatory

general work skills training and competence building in VRC, which aims to prepare

them for the on-the-job training with employers. This training may also cover basic ICT skills

– individually or in small groups.

VR teams and the clients themselves are very active in looking for and contacting employers

that can offer appropriate work experience through on-the-job training to clients and also

employment – if possible.

13

http://www.ir-rs.si/en/Center_for_vocational_rehabilitation/ 14 http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/standardi_storitev_zr.pdf

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A crucial strategy for successful collaboration with employers is to ensure quality matching of

clients’ abilities with work demands. This is done through workplace analysis and approved

by the occupational medicine doctor for health and safety aspects. When necessary,

workplace accommodation is provided, and clients can borrow specialised equipment.

Searches for jobs and suitable employers are based on clients’ skills, knowledge and those

interests which enable clients to find and develop the type of work-related competences that

the labour market requires. By offering continuous support to clients and employers

during on-the-job training, VRC professionals increase instances of employment after

training. And support after PwD have gained employment boosts both their initial and long-

term job retention, having been referred to URI. The cooperation mechanisms are universal

and are applied to all employers, including ICT.

According to national standards requirements, URI keeps a register of employers, including

information about the employers’ details, type of cooperation and results. This information is

accessible to all team members and can be used for current or future inquires. VRC also

informs employers about the demands for on-the-job training through the website:

http://cpr.uri-soca.si/sl/Mini_borza_dela/

3. The ICT labour market

UMAR15 (Slovenian institute for macroeconomic analysis and development) reports that a

work force which is large enough and sufficiently qualified is crucial to improve ICT use and

create new solutions and business models. The fact that ICT is used widely in private and

public sectors means that demand for such work force can be expected to increase, and this

will add to the existing shortfall. The number of ICT graduates is insufficient, despite the

growing number of places in education. A lack of proper practical training during education

and poor collaboration between education and employers are additional problems.

This situation was confirmed by the representatives of the Employment Service of

Slovenia (ESS), Regional office Ljubljana:16 The ESS Regional office in Ljubljana is the

largest in Slovenia, covering 1/3 of job vacancies reported by Slovenian employers and

servicing ¼ of registered unemployed persons in the country. For several years, the regional

office has been facing a constant shortage of professionals in the area of ICT. Consequently,

job seekers registered at ESS were unable to fill open vacancies.

One representative of the ICT employers – Mrs. Bojana Korošec, HR manager at Špica

international d.o.o. - reported that most of their collaboration with the ESS is in relation to

employment subsidies. However she does not see these subsidies to be a decisive factor,

compared to competences. The company mostly recruits appropriate candidates directly from

sources like the Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, or

through joint projects like the yearly Job Fair: http://2014.jobfair.si/. Students get involved in

their work on certain projects during their studies and may become employed after they have

graduated. In fact, most of their present employees have entered the company in this way.

15

UMAR: Report on development 2013., Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia 2013 16

Ms Brigita Anzeljc, head of Labour office Ljubljana and Mr Sandi Meke, coordinator of cooperation with

employers

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The 2008 – 2012 analysis of the job demands on the labour market, conducted by The

National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (CPI)17 and ESS, showed that ICT18

employers mostly search for candidates from the educational/qualification areas of electrical

engineering, mechatronics, computer science and informatics. In electro technology, most

requests are for employees who have a secondary level of education, while in mechatronics,

computer and information science, most employers expect knowledge and skills at

secondary, diploma and university level. The most frequently sought jobs include computer

programming, product development, ICT network and system operators and analysts. A

comparison with ESS statistics from 200519 show that labour market demands from the ICT

sector represented an average of 2% of all demands up until 2013.

This has risen to 4% in the first 2 months of 2014. While these demands are specifically

related to the ICT sector, there are also many ICT jobs needed in other sectors. In interviews

and the focus group, representatives of employment agencies, ICT employers, VR service

providers, ICT education programmes, and university career centres (see Table 7 at the end

of the report) have identified the following ICT- related technical skills expected by

employers now and in the next 5 years:

The best possible ICT literacy and interest in this type of work

Language skills ( including foreign languages, especially English)

-Mainstream and adapted video and audio technology skills (especially deaf and hard-

of-hearing, blind and partially sighted)

Use of social networking services

ICT products development and programming

System administrating

Cloud computing, IP technologies

Skills for customer support, call centres, help desks

Website creation, design and maintenance

A certain level of specific ICT competences before entering on-the-job training:

technical competences in using computers, TV, telecommunications

Certifications of ICT skills and knowledge (e.g. CISCO)

They also found it important that candidates for ICT jobs had a certain level of personal skills.

While these differ depending on the type of work, in general they would appreciate:

General literacy and broad general knowledge

Ability and readiness to learn and adopt new knowledge and skills

Ability and interest for self-development

Good communication and team work skills

Foreign language skills (especially English)

For work which is more administrative, or involves more creativity or problem solving,

employers seek leadership, communication, initiative and creativity. For product development

they look for agility, reaching beyond expectations, flexibility, “sports spirit”, openness,

competitiveness, and the ability to “look outside the box”. Candidates should be able to work

17

http://www.cpi.si/en/about-cpi.aspx 18

http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/NPKbrosura2_170x230_splet.pdf 19

http://www.ess.gov.si/trg_dela/trg_dela_v_stevilkah/prosta_delovna_mesta

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in a team and individually. This including ensuring employers do not become alienated from

social interactions because of the distance from work (for example, when working from

home).

The participants in the interviews and the focus group also emphasised the following barriers

and risks related to employment of PwD:

PwD:

Insufficient computer and communication competences

Lack of the specific ICT knowledge which is required by ICT employers

PwD are often limited by disability-related issues – poor endurance, attention span,

adaptability to changes, ability to learn etc. Yet ICT jobs are often project-based and

may require long working hours and the need to meet deadlines, etc. Persons with

mental health problems are especially weak in communication.

Lack of interest to work in ICT sector

Employers:

Not well enough informed about the possibilities of employing PwD

Except for highly technologically trained professionals, some large ICT employers are

currently not employing new workers because of the economic crisis. Instead, they

are pursuing internal restructuring.

The international structure of many ICT companies means that issues can arise in

getting approval from top management

Employers are unwilling or lack resources (especially time) to train new staff: they

expect ready-trained candidates

The programmes and work demands can involve rapid change – which PwD may not

be able to keep up with

There is a fear of employing PwD: employers face additional legal obligations thanks

to extra protection and rights, and this limits the flexibility of the employer in the

market

Prejudices and fear still exist about PwD

Employers lack knowledge about abilities of PwD, how to work with them or provide

mentoring

System / environment:

Bureaucratisation of procedures in relation to VR and employment of PwD

PwD and other young job-seekers that have completed education or training

(including in ICT) are not identified early enough after registering at the employment

service. This would prevent knowledge loss and failing self-confidence around their

own work-related competencies

Large ICT employers fulfil the quota of PwD with their current employees and are less

interested in employing new PwD

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ESS does not provide enough training for unemployed persons (including PwD) in

ICT skills, although they do have the abilities and interest (in areas such as website

creation and design), and this would increase their employment possibilities

Study programmes at the universities are not developed with enough consideration

for employers’ needs

The employment service does not always acknowledge the benefits of financing

formal training of PwD in ICT skills

It is difficult to present the benefits of employing PwD in the context of high

unemployment, because there are many candidates without any disability.

4. Description of existing cooperation mechanisms and structures

This section describes the main formal mechanisms, tools and structures.

At URI, there are specific collaboration mechanisms with employers to enable on-the-job

training (OJT), employment and support after employment. They include the following

activities which are summarised in the table below:

Activity Actors Time/

frequency Form

Labour market search

URI professionals

(especially social

workers), clients

on-going

Individual

Weekly Group

Contacting employers

Employers, URI

professionals

(especially social

workers), clients

on-going

Individual

Workplace analysis

Employer, URI

occupational

medicine doctor,

other professionals

For every client Individual

Developing a job description URI professionals,

employer For every client Individual

Developing “Health related

workplace precautions”

Occupational

medicine doctor For every client Individual

Developing an Individual

workplace adaptation plan

URI professionals

(especially

occupational

therapists,

technologists),

employer

For every client Individual

10

Signing an “On the job training”

contract” URI, employer, client For every client Tripartite

Lending adapted equipment URI professionals,

employer

Whenever

necessary Individual

Support to clients and

employers during OJT URI professionals

Whenever

necessary Individual

Follow up during OJT

URI professionals,

client, employer

Ongoing/ at

least weekly Individual

Employer, URI

professionals Monthly

Individual

(questionnaire

and personal)

Client, URI

professionals Monthly

Individual

(questionnaire

and personal)

Monthly Group

Final OJT evaluation -

establishing work efficiency,

need for support and workplace

adaptations

URI professionals,

client, employer

At the end of

VR Individual

Counselling employers about

managing the procedures in

relation to entitlement to wage

subsidies, and reimbursement

of costs of workplace adaptation

and support to PwD

URI professionals,

employer, ESS,

Disability fund

At the end of

VR Individual

Follow up and support after

employment URI professionals

All through

employment/ at

least 1 year

Individual

Table: URI collaboration mechanisms with employers

Employment service of Slovenia (ESS):

Employers counselling and support service: ESS has specialised employment advisers

who help employers in all aspects of recruiting new personnel. These include providing

information and advice, publishing job vacancies, providing job-matching activities, advice on

relevant active labour market policy measures, etc.

Information and directions specific to employment of persons with disabilities in Slovenia are

also available to employers on the ESS website:

http://www.ess.gov.si/delodajalci/zaposlovanje_in_delo_invalidov

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Vocational rehabilitation programmes: as defined by the Vocational Rehabilitation and

Employment of Disabled Persons Act (ZZRZI)20 and implemented through the Standards of

vocational rehabilitation and employment of PwD in Slovenia21. Includes the following

cooperation mechanisms and strategies for PwD and employers:

Counselling, encouraging and motivating an active role of persons with disabilities

Preparing an assessment on the level of work ability, knowledge, work habits and

vocational interests (needs assessment and individual rehabilitation planning)

Assistance with accepting own disability and learning about possibilities of

participating in training and work

Assistance with choosing appropriate vocational goals

Developing social skills

Assistance with defining suitable work and searching for employment

Workplace and work environment analysis

Preparing a plan for workplace and work environment accommodation

Preparing a plan of required work equipment and aids

On the job training

Follow-up and professional support with training and education

Follow-up after employment

Continuous evaluation of rehabilitation process

Assessment of workplace efficiency during training and employment

Supported employment services after employment

On the job training as a mainstream active employment policy measure (up to 3 months for

PwD) – KCM

Work trialling as a mainstream active employment policy measure (1 month)

Community work placements (ESS subsidised employment) for up to 24 months for PwD)

– although these are only for non-profit organisations, and there are only a few ICT

employers able to tender for them

National Occupational Qualification (NOQ)

In Slovenia, an occupational qualification can be gained either by completing formal

vocational or professional education programmes or by assessment and National

Occupational Qualification accreditation. This is a formally recognised competence required

for practising the occupation on the basis of the national occupational standard. Educational

programmes are drawn up and implemented in accordance with the Vocational and

Professional Education Act (1996), which falls within the sphere of responsibility of the

Ministry of Education and Sport in cooperation with the social partners.

20

Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004 21

http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/standardi_storitev_zr.pdf

12

The traditionally established schooling path which leads to the acquisition of occupational

qualifications is intended for both young people and adults. However school certificates are

starting to lose their place as the only guarantee that confirms the occupational competence

of their holder. Certification models are being developed throughout Europe, above all as

assessment and accreditation systems of informally acquired knowledge. While looking for

methods to measure competence, the focus is increasingly moving towards the ability to

'mobilise' knowledge, skills, habits and actions in order to perform work tasks in various

circumstances.

The National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (CPI)22 is the central

development and advisory institution for VET in Slovenia. Its basic task is to create

professional bases and methodology for competence-based occupational standards, as well

as develop educational programmes and other activities, including integrating education and

work spheres. They enable fundamental vocational qualifications, linking education with the

labour market, employability, lifelong learning and equal opportunities irrespective of gender

and other characteristics.

In collaboration with the ESS, CPI systematically analyses demands on the labour market in

relation to formal and informal education and training for different jobs, including ICT. This

collaboration includes ongoing analyses of labour market demands such as the one from

201223. The ESS provides information about short term demands and discrepancies between

labour market supply and demand.

The CPI uses this information to prepare occupational standards and develop and modernise

educational programmes. These standards are based upon competences and knowledge

related to successful workplace performance. When compiling these reports, employers are

not contacted directly. The analyses show the continuing discrepancy between labour market

supply and demand in terms of education, and also for certain ICT jobs. The reports also aim

to influence policy makers in the area of education by providing evidence about the

deepening mismatch between supply and demand on the labour market, the results of efforts

to increase the general level of education in Slovenia in the last twenty years, which did not

properly take into consideration economic needs and potential. The existence of this

mismatch was also confirmed by the representatives of Telekom Slovenije24, the largest ICT

employer in Slovenia, and Iskratel, one of the leading telecommunications equipment and

solutions providers.

Work experience

Work experience includes apprenticeships, traineeships and other forms of work-based

learning during formal education. It is provided on secondary and university levels:

Vocational education and training (VET) (secondary level)

Part of the curricula in VET organisations encompasses work experience with employers.

This is also standardised by the National Institute for vocational Education and Training

22

http://www.cpi.si/en/about-cpi.aspx 23

http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/NPKbrosura2_170x230_splet.pdf 24

http://www.telekom.si/en

13

(CPI)25. Successful implementation of the work experience programme is achieved through

collaboration between VET organisations and employers. It is especially aimed at providing a

social experience which develops skills and knowledge in a working environment, while

understanding working environment dynamics and experiencing common responsibility for

work achievements. Each VET organisation has a work experience coordinator who

collaborates with employers. Adjustments for special needs students are provided according

to related legislation - the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act26. Coordination and

implementation is regulated and described in the guidelines for work placement coordinators,

guidelines for students, practical examination references and other supporting documents.

University career centres27

Slovenian universities offer career support to students through University career centres. For

example, the career centre in Ljubljana provides the following support mechanisms and

strategies:

Career consultations on an individual basis and in groups (advice on choosing a study

programme, on entering into employment, on preparing a career plan);

Free workshops and other additional education for students to gain further

competencies and practical knowledge for more effective entry into the labour market;

Information on first-, second- and third-cycle studies;

Information on employment opportunities after graduation;

Presentations of employers and employment opportunities in their organisations to

establish contact between students and potential employers even before graduation;

Study visits to organisations where students get to see first-hand the real working

environment.

In order to achieve the established goals, career centres offer potential employers the

following free options to participate, through:

Advertising job vacancies, student jobs and student practice;

Publishing calls for company scholarships;

Presenting employers and employment opportunities to graduates at University of

Ljubljana faculties/academies;

Visits by students to actual working environments;

Information on study programmes at the University of Ljubljana and higher education

reform in light of the Bologna reform;

Other services upon agreement (case studies, roundtables, career days and similar).

Career centres also offer individualised support to students with special needs28. They

provide individual career counselling, career plan preparation, training for additional skills,

visits to work environments, contacts with employers, transition from study to employment

25

http://www.cpi.si/kurikul/podlage-za-pripravo-izobrazevalnih-programov/prakticno-usposabljanje-z-delom-

pud.aspxb 26

Official Gazette RS, No 90/ 2012; http://www.uradni-list.si/1/objava.jsp?urlid=201290&stevilka=3531 27

http://kc.uni-lj.si/en/storitve 28

http://www.uni-lj.si/studij/studenti_s_posebnimi_potrebami/, http://www.kc.uni-mb.si/studenti/osebe-s-

posebnimi-potrebami/

14

and other activities. Support to these students is also offered by the Slovenian association of

students with special needs.

Student work

Student work is provided by student work organisations. It presents a transitional way for

employers and students to get in touch and provides specific work experience and training

for potential employees. The representative of an ICT employer in this survey noted that all

current employees had entered the company through this form of student work. Contacts

between employers and students and payment are managed by Student work services.

Informal ways of collaborating with employers

The interviewees, VR providers’ professionals, best practice cases and participants in the

focus group also presented the importance of ad hoc and informal ways of collaborating with

employers. The service users emphasised the power of personal recommendations and of

seizing every opportunity to present one’s competences to potential employers. VR service

providers acknowledged the importance of taking every chance to raise awareness, inform

and advise employers about the possibilities of employing PwD.

5. Results

Collaboration with employers during VR in URI and Slovenia

The Development centre for vocational rehabilitation annually evaluates the extent of

collaboration with employers on individual service provider level and on national network of

VR service providers level. The URI VR teams represent about 30% of the national network.

Table 1 presents the numbers of employers with whom URI professionals have collaborated

annually. Since 2009, there is additional information on the proportion of active employers.

URI professionals have collaborated with these employers in various ways, including on-the-

job training, workplace analysis/adaptations, follow up during training, support and follow up

after employment. They have also applied other collaboration mechanisms, which are

presented in Table 2.

In relation to the whole network, URI has 20% more active employers. The trend of growth

changed in 2012 due to limited financing for VR. The estimation from available data is that

URI has collaborated with up to 10% of ICT employers, with the majority of jobs being in call

centres. There is no data or estimation about the proportion of ICT employers on the level of

the national network.

Another result from the collaboration mechanisms with employers is the number of clients

who participated in on-the-job training. These are provided in Table 3.

As can be seen from Table 3, URI professionals annually actively collaborate with 250-300

different employers. Given that between 200 and 260 PwD participate annually in the VRC

programmes, this means there is a great variety of workplaces for on-the-job training and

employment opportunities, especially because one employer can offer several job

descriptions. This high number also results from the fact that prior to successful employment,

clients and employers need to have several different work experiences.

15

VR service

providers 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

T

o

t

a

l

N

e

w

T

o

t

a

l

N

e

w

A

c

t

i

v

e

T

o

t

a

l

N

e

w

A

c

t

i

v

e

T

o

t

a

l

N

e

w

A

c

t

i

v

e

T

o

t

a

l

N

e

w

Ac

tiv

e

VRC URI

(all units) 305 45 351 46 153 450 109 260 502 176 279 308 91

202

66%

TOTAL VR

NETWORK IN

SLOVENIA

1023 287 1194 218 529 1356 313 634 1564 367 731 1617 333 740

46%

Table 2: Number of employers, collaborating with VR service providers

VR service providers 2009 2010 2011 2012

VRC URI ( all units) 191 200 243 261

TOTAL VR NETWORK IN SLOVENIA 492 565 705 822

Table 3: Number of PwD participating in on the job training with employers

Outcomes of Vocational rehabilitation (VR) programmes in Slovenia, 2012

According to the latest annual report from the Development centre for vocational

rehabilitation, 1 615 PwD participated in vocational rehabilitation programmes in 2012.

Table 4 presents different outcomes into employment from VR for 2012. According to the VR

providers’ data, 301 out of 738 PwD (40%) who completed the programme gained new

employment of various types after VR in Slovenia. This number is higher than in 2010 (169)

and 2011 (238). The majority (37,5%) were employed in enterprises which employ PwD.

These are companies with share capital that have a special status according to the ZZRZI,

employing at least 40% of PwD.

Type of outcome All VR service providers %

Mainstream employment 61 20,3

Supported mainstream employment 21 7,0

Employment in enterprises, employing PwD 113 37,5

Sheltered employment (employment centre) 47 15,6

Community work placement 59 19,6

Total 301

Table 4: Outcomes of employment from vocational rehabilitation 2012 in Slovenia

16

In 2012, new employment instances in enterprises which employ PwD were followed by

instances in mainstream employment (20%), community work placements (19,6%) and

sheltered employment (15,6%). ESS does not report on the specific jobs PwD were placed in

with these employers.

In the Ljubljana VRC, the author organisation, the proportions of outcomes of employment by

types differ from the national. This is shown in Table 5. In contrast to the national level, the

majority (33,3%) of outcomes were in mainstream employment and only 5,6% in enterprises

which employ PwD.

Type of Employment VRC Ljubljana %

Mainstream employment 6 33,3

Supported mainstream employment 3 16,7

Employment in enterprises, employing PwD 1 5,6

Sheltered employment (employment centre) 4 22,2

Community work placement 4 22,2

Total 18

Table 5: VRC Ljubljana outcomes in employment

11% of URI students in 2012 in Ljubljana VRC found employment in the ICT sector.

All employment placements after VR on national network level – and in VRC Ljubljana -

resulted from ongoing and continuous cooperation with employers. Activities, mechanisms

and strategies are described in chapter 4.

6. Gaps, suggestions for improvements and opportunities

In chapter 3 the representatives of crucial stakeholders described in interviews and the focus

group what they saw as several barriers to employment of PwD in the ICT sector. Based on

their experience and knowledge, they have identified additional gaps:

VR providers do not systematically address opportunities for employing PwD in the

ICT sector.

ICT employers on the other hand are neither well aware enough or informed about

the VR mechanisms that would help them identify, explore and achieve these

opportunities.

There is not enough collaboration between employers, employment services, or

education - especially VET – in defining employment needs/opportunities so as to

design curricula and support employers in recruitment. This includes the vocational

rehabilitation measures for PwD.

There is no formal link between education and employment sectors that would enable

transition strategies which would recognise, direct and support candidate PwDs (and

other) for employment in the ICT sector.

17

When reflecting on and discussing the current situation, they have also proposed

suggestions for overcoming these barriers, and identified some advantages and

opportunities for employment of PwD in the ICT sector that still need to be taken to

increase the culture of employment. These cover projects with big ICT companies that have

more resources.

Early identification of PwD that have finished education/training in ICT by employment

services, referral to VR service providers, active employment policy measures, VET

or direct referral to employers.

VR service providers should carry out more promotional or marketing activities with

ICT employers.

Based on experience, employers can benefit from the positive influence that

employing PwD can have on the work culture in their companies.

Benefiting from the mobility and flexibility of the sector: you can work from anywhere

(including country) and anytime; working hours can be adapted, including teleworking

from home; physical limitations and barriers can be overcome.

The special knowledge required in ICT leaves the emphasis on expertise. The

atmosphere in ICT companies is already appreciative and open to accepting diversity

among people. And there are fewer taboos or prejudices towards PwD.

There is a broad range of jobs (as well as more routine) and possibilities for PwD,

especially in large telecommunication and production companies. This means that

appropriate jobs can be created. For the present and the future, most new

employment opportunities are less demanding jobs and are found in call centres.

PwD should be encouraged and enabled to attain specific skills and knowledge – in

terms of actual technological competence, not formal education.

Private entrepreneurship is also one way for PwD to work contractually for ICT

companies. ICT employers find this way less costly and more flexible.

ICT companies find that collaborating with VR providers through offering on-the-job

training to PwD is an opportunity to gain insight into how PwD work. This means they

become more aware about disability, work abilities and capabilities, develop work

environment tolerance and break stereotypes about the work abilities of PwD.

Young PwD (especially physical) should be encouraged and supported early in their

education to choose and train for ICT jobs, where there are few disability–related

barriers to employment.

ICT employers should have ownership over employment of PwD, and should perceive

it as an issue to resolve and/or an opportunity to seize.

The need to increase cooperation with different stakeholders (especially Employment

Service and employers) in the area of national qualifications was also reported in the

Evaluation of the System of National Professional Qualifications29.

Employment of PwD is the best way of fulfilling the quota obligation, including the

substitute quota, through providing work to enterprises who employ PwD.

29

http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/Spremljava_eng.pdf

18

Collaboration between employers, VR service providers, education and PwD could be

promoted through projects.

Employers (e.g. T2): personal recommendations for employment of PwD from

students orother employees. This ensures entry level competences, especially since

sometimes PwD themselves contact them directly.

Employing PwD could be promoted more to employers as part of their social

responsibility strategies.

7. Conclusions and lessons learned

From the information gathered through literature research, interviews, cases studies and a

focus group with stakeholders about VR services, ICT labour market and cooperation

mechanisms and strategies in Slovenia, we can draw the following conclusions:

As a labour market for PwD, the ICT sector in Slovenia is not fully utilised and still

offers a lot of potential employment opportunities to PwD.

Only a small proportion of PwD referred to VR service providers (also registered at

ESS) have sufficient ICT skills and knowledge to find employment in the ICT sector or

in ICT jobs in other sectors.

There are several mainstream cooperation mechanisms to enable job seekers

(including PwD) to gain work experience and contacts with employers. However, in

the opinion of all stakeholders, these are not sufficiently effective nor coordinated.

Despite the published information about the collaboration of The National Institute for

Vocational Education and Training with ESS when developing educational

programmes and standards, the employers and service users that participated in the

interviews and focus groups described that, except for the faculties for informatics

and computer science, curricula do not match ICT employers’ demands well enough.

Specialised cooperation and support mechanisms such as Vocational Rehabilitation

offer comprehensive services to PwD and employers, but there is not enough

awareness, use or promotion of them among ICT employers.

On-the-job training is the main cooperation mechanism in Slovenia, enabling efficient

collaboration between employers, clients and service providers and aimed at different

levels of employment or other types of social inclusion of PwD.

VR teams can provide a coordination role to link all stakeholders. This is needed to

enable PwD to learn and train in those ICT skills and knowledge that would meet the

needs of employers.

19

II. Selection of good practices

One preliminary remark on the case studies: these are only good practice examples. The

vocational rehabilitation in Slovenia is highly individualised and flexible; cooperation with

employers is aimed at fast employment of the PwD and is not focused on the design of

curricula for client groups or the understanding of the needs of the labour market in general.

This is the reason why the good practices presented below relate to particular cases of

clients. Nevertheless they have an illustrative and good-practice value.

The 4 practice cases of successful employments of PwD in ICT companies illustrate how

different collaboration mechanisms with employers are applied. 2 are specialised, managed

by a VR provider, and 2 are mainstream, initiated or even managed by PwD and employers

themselves.

Case Study 1: On-the-job training of 'RJ' in the Prizma D.O.O. Call

centre

Rationale

RJ was referred to the Ljubljana VRC by the rehabilitation counsellor at the Ljubljana ESS.

The initial cooperation was set up between the VRC and the employment service.

Objectives

Applying VR cooperation and support mechanisms with the employer to estimate the

level of employability and employment possibilities through VR, including

rehabilitative and on-the-job training in a real working environment.

Employment in a suitable workplace.

Actors involved and roles

RJ has 3.5 years of working experience as a hair dresser and room maid. When she was first

referred to the VRC in 2010 she had been unemployed for one year. Her disability was the

result of osteoarthritis and asthma, both of which prevented her from seeking employment in

her profession or any other work that would require physical strain, kneeling, squatting, using

stairs, or include exposure to substances she was allergic to. In the initial interview and

assessment of her employment needs and potential at VRC, she expressed interest in office

work, especially using a computer. She attended basic training through ESS, but she needed

to further advance her computer skills and knowledge.

Employer:

PRIZMA IP d.o.o. – Enterprise employing persons with disabilities.

Type of work: call centre

Number of employees: 5 (3 PwD)

20

VR provider:

The Ljubljana VRC, University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia

VR team: social worker (case manager), occupational medicine specialist, occupational

therapist, psychologist, rehabilitation technologist

Rehabilitation counsellor: ESS, The Ljubljana office

How-to: cooperation mechanism – VR and on-the-job training

Based on previous successful collaboration with on-the-job training and employment of

another PwD, VRC contacted the employer so as to explore and develop RJ’s work

competences, including her use of computers or other ICT. Since the employer was

searching for a new employee in the call centre, collaboration was able to start as soon as

the workplace analysis confirmed that the work suited her health situation and she could start

the on-the-job training. Her tasks included the following:

Entering data into the computer (70% of time)

Looking for information via the internet

Printing documents

Other office work

The work she did for the employer was time consuming, but simple and, most importantly,

needed. It required a certain level of responsibility and accuracy. During the on-the-job

training she was supported by the VRC team and by a mentor at the workplace. Through

being gradually introduced to the work, and with training in different tasks, mostly including

simple ICT skills, RJ reached and maintained a required level of responsibility, accuracy,

accountability and sincerity at work. These personal and work skills were crucial for the

employers’ decision after 4 months of training to finalise the collaboration, employing her in a

sheltered type of contract despite her consistent lower efficiency. She could only reach up to

45% productivity, which the employer could compensate for by applying for the 65% at the

Public Guarantee, Maintenance and Disability Fund30. This success was achieved through

close collaboration between employer, ESS, Disability fund and VRC who coordinated the

whole process in a manner required and regulated by The Act on Vocational Rehabilitation

and Employment of PwD.

Advice from the employer about establishing a similar practice:

Open communication with the candidate and VR provider gives the PwD a chance to prove

themselves through work, despite their functional limitations. The possibilities and

expectations need to be defined in advance. Functional limitations have to be clearly defined

and communicated.

Evaluation

What makes it a best practice?

Employer: Achieves employment of PwD. The mentor reports that RJ is well accepted by co-

workers as a part of the team.

30

http://www.jpi-sklad.si/skladi/invalidski-sklad/

21

Client: the rehabilitation process not only ended in employment, but has also increased RJ’s

perception of her quality of life, which was measured with the QOLIS questionnaire.

VR provider: to enable the employment outcome, the VRC team successfully coordinated

complicated administrative procedures between employer, ESS and Disability fund, as well

as the usual VR process.

Contact details

Matevž Pintar, PRIZMA IP d.o.o. Kopališka ulica 8A, 4220 Škofja Loka

matevz.pintar@kcm.si

http://www.bizi.si/PRIZMA-IP-D-O-O/maticno-podjetje/

22

Case study 2: On–the-job training leading to supported employment

on the open labour market: 'AD' in the IT TIM

Rationale

AD was referred to the Maribor VRC by the rehabilitation counsellor at the Maribor ESS.

Objectives

- Applying VR cooperation and support mechanisms with the employer to estimate the

level of employability and employment possibilities through VR, including

rehabilitative and on-the-job training in a real working environment.

- Employment in a suitable workplace.

Actors involved and roles

AD lives close to Maribor. He is a salesman by occupation. He had tried to complete several

schools, but dropped out. He has not yet been employed, although had a few month's work

experience during education as a shop assistant in a hardware store. He also did some

student work in a computer maintenance company in his home town. That employer offered

him employment, but he declined due to the low wage offered. When he was referred to VRC

Maribor in 2011, he had been registered at the ESS for two years. His disability was the

result of mental health problems, namely a personality disorder. He had problems in

managing complex or less structured situations. He did not like monotonous work, and found

it difficult to follow rules and acknowledge authority. His motivation for work was very

selective, and he somehow saw himself in computer-related work. After the initial

assessment, the VRC team concluded that AD could perform less demanding and

responsible tasks in a tolerant environment with limited social interactions.

Employer:

IT TIM d.o.o.

Type of work: providing solutions for business process management, ICT infrastructure, IT

platform and SW

Number of employees: 7

VR provider:

The Maribor VRC, University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia

VR team: social worker (case manager), occupational medicine specialist, occupational

therapist, psychologist, rehabilitation technologist

Rehabilitation counsellor: ESS, The Maribor office

How-to: cooperation mechanism – VR and on-the-job training

At the beginning of the VR process, AD explored his career options through individual and

group activities conducted by the interdisciplinary team. These included active job seeking,

exploring career interests, matching competences with work opportunities and rehabilitative

training. AD soon took the initiative for repairing computers on the training site. By doing this

very competently, he proved to the team that he could be very successful in this line of work.

23

He was given further work with computer repair and maintenance during training. AD's case

manager contacted IT TIM and presented his competences. They invited AD for an interview.

He was very unnerved about this, and so his case manager provided counselling and role-

played the interview with him to give him more confidence. The interview succeeded and he

started the on-the-job training in September 2013. His work tasks mostly comprised the

following:

Computer components assembly

Computer repairs

Software installations, network equipment control and installations

Demonstrating to customers how to use computers and other ICT equipment

Office and technical tasks

AD worked under the supervision and coaching of a mentor. He started working for 6 hours

and was gradually able to achieve full time endurance. There were no fixed norms nor time

pressure to his work, and the atmosphere was tolerant and calm. His work expectations

included accuracy, accountability, responsibility, quality, some flexibility and good manual

dexterity. During training he needed more time to learn new tasks, but in time he succeeded

in fulfilling these expectations. He still needs some additional support in new or complex

situations, as well as with written communication with customers. AD asks for support and

approval from his mentor when he needs, but given enough time, he can find the necessary

information and complete his work. The mentor and co-workers are young, open and

positively oriented towards solving problems. Throughout the on-the-job training his work

pace has been a little slower and his efficiency stabilised at 70%. Despite this the employer

decided to employ AD in the form of supported employment and can apply for a 30%

minimum age subsidy at the Disability fund. Being a mainstream employer, IT TIM can also

receive reimbursement for ongoing support, based on the individual support plan developed

by the VRC team.

Advice for establishing a similar practice:

VR providers and employers should enable their clients/employees to explore and develop

ICT skills during the on-the-job training. Some employers require clients to have a certain

level of ICT skills, needed by certain employers, and these can be gained formally or

informally. Some basic training should be provided in VRC or elsewhere, because employers

do not have time for this. Open communication is needed among all persons involved about

all aspects of the on-the-job training. At the beginning, it is crucial to reassure the employer

about clients’ issues and the availability of ongoing support from VRC staff. The employer

should be encouraged to evaluate clients’ performance using the same criteria as he does

with his employees.

Evaluation

What makes it a best practice?

Employer: employers are mostly satisfied and rewarded with the social engagement. The

accompaniment of the employee with disabilities provided by the VR services is generally a

good surprise for them, as they are not necessarily aware of the possible existing support.

24

Client: In weekly follow up meetings with the group and case managers, he actively seeks

contact and describes his working with IT TIM as a positive experience. He feels that he

belongs there, and is part of the team.

VR provider: Enabling AD to be doing what he was really competent in was a significant

means to improving his communication and behaviour in interactions with others. Above all,

he started to trust that the VRC team would support him to find a job that would match his

interests and abilities. From being a passive and somehow reluctant recipient of services, he

became an active and interested participant in his VR process.

Contact details

Barbara Ribarič, IT TIM d.o.o., Ulica heroja Šaranoviča 37, 2000 Maribor;

barbara.ribaric@it-tim.si

http://it-tim.si/

25

Case study 3: Job placement in the open labour market with parallel

advice from VRC: employment of 'NN' in T2 D.O.O.

Rationale

'NN' was personally recommended for employment by people who were acquainted with him.

He and the employer decided to “skip” VR mechanisms, because this would require

additional time. However the employer was prepared to pay for some VR services after

employment had been confirmed, which would enable him to receive financial incentives for

employing a PwD.

Objectives

Employment after successful trial period and examination.

Actors involved and roles

PwD: NN is a 34 year old man. He has finished high school and is now finalising college

level in economy. His disability results from quadriplegia. He uses an electrical wheelchair

and also experiences hand function problems. Before employment he was not registered at

the ESS and was not referred to vocational rehabilitation. He learned most of his ICT skills

and knowledge himself and during subsequent employment, rather than gaining them during

formal education. He is newly employed at T2 d.o.o. since April 2014.

Employer:

T2 d.o.o.

Type of work: electronic communications and equipment production, development and

marketing

Number of employees: 300

VR provider:

The Ljubljana VRC, University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia – social worker

How-to: cooperation mechanism – individual initiative, induction training and

VR professionals’ counselling

The first phase of the process was a theory induction. This lasted a few days and was

supported by practical examples. The second step included practical training in the call

centre. This took place through computer-sharing with the mentor. At first he learned all about

the operation and use of the new programmes, followed by a demonstration while talking to a

customer. The role of NN was to listen. After the call, they discussed the details and

decisions that took place during the call. After a few days of such learning, NN started talking

with clients under the supervision and support of the mentor until he learned all activities and

could perform them independently. This training with pairs lasts at least two weeks until the

trainee learns all the different strategies and skills needed when working with customers.

After the initial training, NN was independent in performing the following call centre agent

tasks:

26

Answering calls

Helping customers with technical support

Troubleshooting of errors reported by written communication

Selling by outbound and inbound calls

Troubleshooting at level I technical support

Learning about new developments

Participating in continuous education

Additional tasks assigned by the department coordinator

After the successful induction training, NN was offered employment at T2 d.o.o. He took his

work very responsibly. Besides his knowledge, he expressed initiative, diligence, eagerness

and enjoyment in what he did.

There was no need for workplace adjustments related to his disability. The workplace and

work itself is accessible for PwD.

Because the induction process showed a certain degree of lowered efficiency as a result of

his disability, the employer and NN contacted a social worker in URI to get advice about the

procedures and requirements in relation to claiming the lowered efficiency subsidy, and other

incentives in relation to employing a PwD. They were advised that this would require at least

3 months of on-the-job training inside VR, based on referral from ESS, which would also pay

for all procedures. The employer was also informed that if they applied for the subsidy and

support and/or workplace adaptation reimbursement after employment, they would have to

pay URI or another VR service provider to perform the work performance evaluation. Based

on the information received, the employer decided to go directly into employment and pay for

the VR services to URI after 3 months.

Advice for establishing a similar practice:

Supervising and evaluation of the induction process is very important, mostly in the form of

individual interviews every 2-3 days. Follow up is also conducted daily through

questionnaires which are filled in by the candidate and mentor. The questions are related to

knowledge and communication skills. Knowledge is also tested objectively by written exams.

Despite the well-established cooperation mechanisms with VR financed by the ESS,

employers and clients should be given space for more direct cooperation. However advice

and support should remain available in relation to employment of PwD, regardless of whether

the employee was referred to VR or not.

Evaluation

What makes it a best practice?

Employer: Their practice of recruiting new employees based on personal recommendation

and induction process has proven to be successful. Disability is not considered a barrier as

soon as there is knowledge and skill. Other employees find working with PwD encouraging

and positive.

Employee: NN feels encouraged and appreciated.

VR provider: The employer recognised the competences and skills of NN even without an

intervention from VR services upfront. Incentives and subsidies were not decisive in the first

27

phase; the employer is prepared to pay for those VR services that can improve the efficiency

and well-being of the employee and ease his cooperation with the employer.

Contact details

Jan Kocjančič, T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana

jan.kocjancic@t-2.com

http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

28

Case study 4: Successful mainstream employment of 'MM' in T2

D.O.O. without VET/VR intervention

Rationale

'MM' was employed after having worked for T2 d.o.o. through student work.

Objectives

Employment after successful trial period and examination.

Actors involved and roles

PwD:

MM is a 28 year old man who has finished high school. His disability results from muscular

dystrophy. He uses an electrical wheelchair for movement and also experiences hand

function problems. Before employment he was not registered at the ESS and was not

referred to vocational rehabilitation. He has been employed with T2 d.o.o for three years.

Currently, most of the work he performs is done from home.

Employer:

T2 d.o.o.

Type of work: electronic communications and equipment production, development and

marketing

Number of employees: 300

VR provider: none. µ

This good practice has been voluntarily integrated in this report to highlight the limits of the

vocational training: sometimes it can work well without any intervention from a VR/VET

provider.

Local, regional, national authorities: Student work service

How-to: cooperation mechanism – individual initiative, induction training and

student work

MM was personally recommended for work in T2 d.o.o. and initiated the contact himself.

Prior to starting working MM needed to organise his daily transportation to work by adapting

his car. After a while he moved closer to Ljubljana. Although currently he can do most of his

work from home, he needed to be able to work at the company's location, especially in the

beginning.

T2 d.o.o. applies a very similar and standardised induction procedure that is described above

for all new employees - they all start in the call centre, experience which is crucial for making

decisions about employment. After successful induction and initial work in the call centre, MM

advanced to a more responsible and organisational type of work as a technical assistant and

statistician, including the following tasks:

29

Preparation of daily and weekly analyses (call actions) of the call centre

Follow up of individual call actions

Database management and call actions preparation

Document preparation for the department

Preparation of department’s daily, weekly and monthly reports

Survey development and analysis

Assuring adequacy of analyses and improving when necessary

Additional tasks assigned by the department coordinator

There was no need for workplace adjustments related to his disability. The workplace and

work itself is accessible for PwD.

Advice for establishing a similar practice:

Student work can be a good basis for employment.

Good structure and strict implementation and supervision over the induction process

are crucial.

Evaluation

What makes it a best practice?

Employer: Their practice of recruiting new employees based on personal recommendation,

induction process and student work has proven successful.

Employee: MM feels encouraged and appreciated.

VR provider: MM and the employer decided not to go through those usual procedures of VR

which are normally implemented for employment of PwD. Following these procedures would

take at least 3 months, but on the other hand would enable the employer to claim financial

incentives for employing PwD, such as wage subsidy, reimbursement of support and

workplace adaptation costs. Considering that the adaptation of the workplace is not required,

and that the need for support is minimal, the employer decided not to apply for subsidy.

Contact details

Jan Kocjančič, T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana

jan.kocjancic@t-2.com

http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

30

List of interviewees

Participants in the country mapping

Name Role/ education Organisation

Type of

organisation

Interviews

1 Simona

Korez

Vocational

trainer, case

manager, ICT

expert

Racio, družba za razvoj človeškega

kapitala,d.o.o.

Kersnikova ulica 19, 3000 Celje

http://www.racio.si/

Vocational

rehabilitation

service provider

2 Ana Korat

Case manager,

occupational

therapist

Centerkontura d.o.o.,

Linhartova 51, 1000

Ljubljana

http://www.centerkontura.si/

Vocational

rehabilitation

service provider

3

Predrag

Pavlović

Case manager,

vocational

trainer

URI Maribor

Čufarjeva c. 5

2000 Maribor

http://www.uri-soca.si/en/

Vocational

rehabilitation

service provider

4 Mateja

Sok

Case manager,

occupational

therapist

URI Maribor

Čufarjeva c. 5

2000 Maribor

http://www.uri-soca.si/en/

Vocational

rehabilitation

service provider

4 Brigita

Anzeljc

Head of the

Labour Office

Ljubljana

Employment service of Slovenia

http://english.ess.gov.si/

Employment

service

5 Sandi

Meke

Coordinator of

cooperation

with employers,

Employment service of Slovenia

The ESS Regional office in Ljubljana

Parmova 32, 1000 Ljubljana

http://english.ess.gov.si/

Employment

service

6 Bojana

Korošec HR manager

Špica International d.o.o.Pot k

sejmišču 33

1231 Ljubljana

http://www.spica.si/

ICT employer

7 Jan

Kocjančič Call centre

T 2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000

Ljubljana

http://www.t-2.com/poslovni/o-

podjetju

ICT employer

8 Matevž

Pintar

Manager,

mentor

Prizma IP d.o.o.

Kopališka 8A, Škofja Loka

www.kcm.si

ICT employer

9 Stanko

Šalamon

Executive

manager

ICT Technology Network Institute

Dunajska cesta 159

SI-1000 Ljubljana

Slovenia http://www.ict-

slovenia.net/eng/about-technology-

network

Representative

organisation of

ICT employers

31

10 Ksenija

Rozman

Work

experience

coordinator

University of Ljubljana

Faculty of Computer and Information

Science

Tržaška cesta 25

SI-1001 Ljubljana

Slovenia

http://www.fri.uni-lj.si/en/about/

Representative of

the higher

education

Best practices

11 Barbara

Ribarič

Head of

finances

IT TIM d.o.o.

Ulica heroja Šaranoviča 37 2000

Maribor

http://it-tim.si/

ICT employer

12 Matevž

Pintar

Manager,

mentor

Prizma IP d.o.o.

Kopališka 8A, Škofja Loka

www.kcm.si

ICT employer

13 Jan

Kocjančič

Head of

customer

support and

teleshopping

T-2 d.o.o.

Verovškova 64A, 1000, Ljubljana

http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

ICT employer

Focus group participants

14

Mateja

Golob

Matzele

HR

Telekom Slovenije, d.d.

Cigaletova 15

1000 Ljubljana

http://www.telekom.si/en

ICT employer

15 Ivan

BABIČ Head of HR

Iskratel, d.o.o.

Ljubljanska cesta 24a

4000 Kranj

http://www.iskratel.com/en/about-

us/about-company

ICT employer

16 Mirza

Kovačević

Auto mechanic,

has self-learned

computer skills

Unemployed PwD – in the VRC

waiting list

17 Anja

Tratnik ICT engineer Employed outside ICT

Former VRC

client

18 Bor

Melanšek

Call centre

agent

T-2 d.o.o.

Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana

http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

PwD - employee

19 Marko

Kušar

Call centre

technical

assistant

T-2 d.o.o.

Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana

http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

PwD - employee

32

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This project is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and

Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007-2013).

This programme is implemented by the European Commission. It was established to

financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the

employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to

the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields. The seven-year

Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appro-

priate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across the EU-27,

EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries.

For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/progress

The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position

or opinion of the European Commission.