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Educate for Independence

The “Educate for Independence” project aims to promote the autonomy and labor market access of young people aged 15 to 29 with a mild-medium intellectual impairment who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs), through developing their life and labour market skills. This group shows significantly lower rates of employment, due to obstacles such as the rigidity of programs designed for a generic “protected target group” and the disregard of individual needs.

The objective is to test an innovative intervention which embraces three domains: outreach of the target group; defining of the learning model; skills validation and activation in the labor market.

Context

Young people with intellectual disabilities face great challenges in transitioning from education to the labor market, especially those at risk of becoming NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). In the EU, the employment rate for people with disabilities is still significantly lower than for those without. In 2019, the employment rate for people with disabilities in the EU-27 was 51.3%, compared to 75.6% for non-disabled people. Despite gradual improvements before the COVID-19 crisis, the disability employment gap remains substantial. This issue is evident across countries, with employment rates for disabled people ranging from 31.1% in Greece to 56.5% in Austria.

Inclusive employment policies, such as employment quotas, exist but are insufficient. More efforts are needed to ensure workplace accommodations and raise awareness to overcome prejudice. Additionally, deinstitutionalization and promoting independent living are key for social inclusion. Therefore, specialized Education and Training are needed: Young people with intellectual disabilities need tailored programs that address their strengths and challenges, helping them transition to work. On the employers’ side, they need to create accessible workplaces with reasonable accommodations and more awareness about disability inclusion to create inclusive job opportunities. Furthermore, the families and caregivers of young people with intellectual disabilities require counseling and assistance to recognize and support their loved ones’ potential.

Finally, to create an inclusive environment, and have an effective integration into the labour market, it requires joint efforts from governments, businesses, and communities.

The Educate for Independence project aims to meet the aforementioned needs through inclusive education, skills validation, and market activation, reaching over 250 young people with intellectual disabilities and fostering collaboration with over 150 professionals.

Specific objectives:

Develop skills in vulnerable youth with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities to foster their self-independence.
Integrate youth with intellectual disabilities into the labour market by providing training and skill-building opportunities.
Promote independent living by limiting the use of residential services and focusing on inclusive interventions and independent living pathways for young people with intellectual disabilities.

Main activities

2 in-presence consortium meetings in Cuneo and Barcelona to visit and meet the staff and beneficiaries.
Realization of 4 focus groups in each country and interviews with 40 NEETs as part of the beneficiaries’ identification process.
Realization of empowerment workshops with around 200 NEETs
Participation of 2 people from APG23 in a Mutual learning event in Brussels organised by the European Competence Centre of Social Innovation.
5 Webinars to obtain an overview of best practices.
Agricultural and municipal activities in small groups between 5 and 10 beneficiaries
4 case studies from pilot programs.
Creation of a Toolkit with practical guidelines on the three domains of social innovation.
Engagement of 80 key stakeholders, including educators, social workers, youth workers, and other professionals, to ensure a comprehensive support network for the youth.
Local events involving over 150 professionals, including HR officers, SMEs, public/private authorities, and CSOs to create job opportunities and promote inclusive hiring practices.

Results / expected impact

250 beneficiaries will be actively involved and empowered, increasing their awareness of opportunities and their potential for autonomy.
40 beneficiaries will have the opportunity to develop daily skills and be better prepared for work through a personalised programme.
Changing attitudes towards young people with intellectual disabilities from a welfare model to one that focuses on empowerment, agency and autonomy of this vulnerable group.
The consortium partners will improve their expertise in training and labour activation for vulnerable young people.
The project will establish a skills validation method to evaluate and measure the impact of training and activation efforts, enabling continuous improvement.
Overall improvement of the capacity to identify and support the specific needs of this vulnerable group, thus preventing situations of social exclusion and planning reliable interventions.

Educate 4 Integration is coordinated by APG23 – Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (Italy) with partner organizations CESIE ENTE TERZO SETTORE (Italy), INNOVATION HIVE (Greece), Il Ramo società cooperativa sociale (Italy), InterAktion – Verein für ein interkulturelles Zusammenleben (Austria), Asociación Bienestar y Desarollo (Spain) Consorzio Socio Assistenziale del Cuneese (Italia). It will be implemented for 24 months in Spain, Greece, Italy and Austria.

The project is funded by the program Social Innovations for the Upskilling of Vulnerable Youth, Especially Young People not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEETs).

Educate for Independence

Educate for Independence The “Educate for Independence” project aims to promote the autonomy and labor market access of young people aged 15 to 29 with a mild-medium intellectual impairment who…