This section includes information about EU-funded projects carried out by Workability Europe and its members.

• Validating Mentoring 2

In November 2007, Workability Europe plus five international partners commenced a new project entitled "Validating Mentoring 2." The project is led by Marie Curie Association of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It is funded by the Leonardo da Vinci programme of the European Commission and will run for 24 months. The other project partners are the Belgium-based consultancy PhoenixKM, Bolu Guid ance and Rese arch Centre from Turkey, Edinburgh Ch amber of Commerce and the University of Worcester in the UK. The aim of Validating Mentoring 2 is to support the needs of disabled people and others disadvantaged in the job market by developing systems for the recognition of their non-formal and informal learning. This is particularly important for a group that, compared to its peers, lacks formal qualifications with the consequent effects upon their employability. It will do this by establishing new mentoring programmes in 3 countries for target groups including disabled people, older people and young people at risk and it will transfer to them the principles and practices of effective, high quality, mentoring and validation, based on the Code of Practice for Mentoring developed the first Validation of Mentoring project. The main role of Workability Europe in this project will be to contribute to valorisation activities and to manage a National Steering Group. It is also WE's idea to test the products and approaches developed in the project in interested WE members.

To download the project leaflet click here
> Project website: http://www.vm2-project.eu/

• Vocational Improvement Pipeline Project (VIPP)

This Leonardo da Vinci project has been set up to develop, share and improve the employment of people with disabilities via specific "vocational pipelines" across seven EU partners. During this time the project parners will develop and share "vocational pipeline" approaches to improve the employment levels of disabled people to get into work or move into higher level jobs. They also aim to influence policy formulation across EU governments.
> Project website: http://www.vipp-org.eu/

• STRUCTURE

The EQUAL transnational partnership consists of four Development Partnerships which have all identified problems with regards to the “employability” and/or “adaptability” of disadvantaged people in the labour market and in particular with regards to disabled and/or elderly people being employed, unemployed or at risk of becoming unemployed. The transnational partnership aims to share experiences, learn from activities in the other partners’ countries and to jointly develop/test innovative ways of bridging the gap between these disadvantaged groups and the flexible labour market.
> Project website: http://www.structuur.projectinfo.org/structuur/index.htm

• Employment Guidance Services

WE members Samhall (Sweden), RSZFK (Hungary) and VRC (Lithuania), plus three other partners, particpated in a project on "Employment Guidance Services" funded by the Dublin-based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (EUROFOUND). The project which concluded in May 2007, collected best practices on transition of long-term unemployed disabled people into mainstream employment. Each of the participating countries presented six successful case studies which have been inserted into a database compiled by EUROFOUND and available at http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/areas/socialcohesion/egs/search.php

These cases are of potential interest to a range of people. These include professionals operating in employment guidance services, be they in the mainstream or specialist sectors, rehabilitation professionals, policy makers, employers and others. 

• “Disabled at Work!”: a Dutch – Turkish partnership facilitating access to the labour market for disabled people

Workability Europe, its Dutch member Cedris, plus a consortium of several other partners, have started a project called “Disabled at Work!” The project is funded by the Matra Programme. Sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Matra Social Transformation Programme makes an active contribution to promoting security, cooperation, social inclusion and democracy in Central and Eastern Europe. Matra’s most important instrument is “twinning”: direct cooperation between local NGOs and Dutch NGOs. The twinning partners in this project amongst others are the Municipality of Almelo on the Dutch side and the Municipality of Denizli on the Turkish side.

More information and updates about the project is available at http://www.disabledatwork.org/

Contacts: Robert Adrichem: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and Leo Kooyman: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

• Validation of Mentoring
  

This is a transnational project funded under by the  Leonardo da Vinci Programme of the European Commission. The main goal of the project is to support the work experience of the young disabled people through incorporating and validation of the mentoring programmes. The process of validation will facilitate the recognition of the acquired practical skills during those mentoring programmes. A certificate which is recognised in the participating European countries will be obtained by each participant in order to prove it to his / her potential employers.
> Project website: http://www.mentoring-validation.org/

• Quality Assurance and Accessible Training (QATRAIN)
  

The QATRAIN Project focuses on Quality Assurance and Accessible TRAINing in Europe. QATRAIN is a Leonardo da Vinci funded project that aims to help remove barriers to participation for disabled people in mainstream Vocational Education and Training (VET). This transnational project helps VET providers to develop a more inclusive approach to the design of teaching, learning and assessment strategies through the development of a web based resource that provides Strategies for Creating Inclusive Programmes of Study (SCIPS). In turn, this will enable disabled students to participate more fully in Vocational Education and Training.
> Project website: http://www.qatrain.org/

•  “Challenge 4 All”: Sheltered employment and rehabilitation in Suriname

In October 2007, Workability Europe and partners started a large, multi-dimensional project in the Republic of Suriname in South America called "Challenge 4 All". The main objective of the project is strengthening the social infrastructure and improving the opportunities for disadvantaged people in Suriname. The project tries to achieve this by starting up new activities and combining a large number of existing initiatives. Specific project aims include obtaining statistics on the target group and building up client records; designing accessible transport facilities for disabled people; creating facilities for care and rehabilitation of drug addicts; promoting progressive sheltered employment models as an opportunity for human development; improvement of vocational training courses; development of activities and services to improve the urban (living) environment and increase its attraction to tourists and strengthening Dutch-Surinamese bilateral cooperation.