JOBS4ALL: STRENGTHENING THE EMPLOYABILITY AND KEY COMPETENCES OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES THROUGH THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND MODERNISATION OF YOUTH WORK

In the EU, 50.6 % of persons with disabilities are employed, compared to 74.8 % of persons without disabilities. Notwithstanding, women with disabilities, young disabled people and people with hig...

The fundamental objectives are to ensure social inclusion, access and participation in the labour market for YPwDs and upgrade youth work by addressing the need for digital transformation. The project aims to address the necessity of pioneering digital-driven tools to improve the employability skills of YPwDs and upgrade youth work through increasing quality and innovation. Moreover, the project aims to improve skills and competences of Youth Workers/trainers/educators etc. working with YPwDs to foster them training methodologies that will improve the current state of the art in regards to training programmes, which are available to this vulnerable group of population. In this manner, the JOBS4ALL project results will be conducive to improving existing methodologies and simultaneously establishing a broader community that fosters them with opportunities in the labour market to enhance equal access and participation, which will reflect the rise of personal growth confidence.

The JOBS4ALL aims to design, develop and pioneer the idea of the JOBS4ALL programme to improve the employability skills to young people aged 15+ years old with disabilities through the use of VR and build a BUSINESS COMMUNITY towards enhancing the work opportunities and FOSTER structural dialogue between businesses, Youth Organisations/Training Facilitators/Primary Schools and people with disabilities to enhance equal participation in the labour market. The JOBS4ALL project envisions to design, develop, pilot-test and promote an interactive VR Game addressed to the European community, to support the acquisition of employability skills in selected sectors such as Professional, Hair Salon and Food Services including social skills, employability based on each profession, Digital, Health and Safety and Hygiene. Toward this aim the following activities will be implemented: A1. Create the Employability Mapping Tool based on Google Maps to list good practices, work opportunities and list of businesses that offer training and work opportunities programmes to YPwDs in the region A2. Create Synergies and an Open Consultation Group between labour market actors, policy-makers and youth workers A3. Peer review virtually and F2F in TPM2 A4. Setting Up the Employment Hubs For YPWDS: Guidelines and Procedures A5. Design of the VR game with functionalities integration and in-house pilot-testing along with the development of a manual A6. Development of the interactive platform A7 Create the Policy Advocacy Pack to enable structured dialogue in the labour market towards innovating existing trainings offered to YPwDs A8. SET UP THE HUBS and the Capacity Building Training implementation for the Adoption of the programme in formal and non-formal settings. A pilot-testing activity to target groups will take place to assess the effectiveness and make appropriate changes before introducing it to the wider audience. C1 Organisation of the Train-the-Trainer activity C2 Blended Mobility for YPwDs

Specifically, the project will: 1. Introduce emerging technologies in Youth Work thus upgrading its quality, based on the development of a collection of VR/AR SIMULATIONS – SCENARIOS for teaching, learning and assessment purposes. The simulation will support disabled youth to explore the various job sectors and identify the skills needed, the tools used, the procedures followed, the requirements etc., especially in periods where apprenticeships and work-based learning is not allowed. 2. Initiate a CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME for YW and YP on acquiring employability skills based on blended learning opportunities for both youth workers or professional working with young people with disabilities. 3. Design a POLICY ADVOCACY INITIATIVE for the labour market to successfully integrate people with disabilities in their work which will include: (a) Public Consultation in the form of a structured dialogue between relevant stakeholders, businesses/organisations, YW and WP that will create synergies and eventually an e-Business Network, which will embed interaction and communication functionalities e.g. e-Community and Forum (b) Raising awareness campaign in the form of WEBINARs and PORDCASTs for targeting BUSINESSES and ORGANISATIONS on creating and ensuring an inclusive workplace culture for disabled youth (c) Memorandum of Commitment to support this initiative through the provision of working opportunities to youth with disabilities. 4. SET UP the COMMUNITY EMPLOYMENT HUBS in various places (e.g. partner organisations, community centres, municipalities), which will offer the JOBS4ALL programme in an organised way based on a flexible schedule; weekly, as part of schooling, summer-school, intensive, etc. 5. Develop and sustain the JOBS4ALL Platform which will include: (a) Mapping Tool, which will be constantly updated with businesses and organisations that offer work placements and employability to people with disabilities (b) e-Learning Environment for YW, educators etc. including the Training Programme and Training Pack with activities to do with YP on employability skills with a focus on circular economy and professional services or any other type the consortium will decide. Webinars will also be developed for each topic based on the Competence Framework to be designed e.g. Digital, Computer Skills, Employability such as communication, teamwork etc. (c) Business Training Programme accompanied by a Guidebook for establishing an employee culture that ensures social inclusion of people with disabilities (d) Raising awareness Videos on Business integration and incentives such as tax, legal, financial, organisational, societal etc. to promote labour participation and motivation to businesses to hire people with disabilities and inform them on the working environment and employee culture needed. Impact on target groups - To foster labour access and participation through the improvement of their employability skills - To enhance their practical knowledge and know-how on working environments - To develop self-confidence in working - To improve their career-prospects and be motivated in work - To advance their digital skills Impact on educators/Youth Workers - To advance their professional profiles - To enrich their practices and be introduced with new tools such as VR - To improve the courses offered for SEN population - To acquire new skills and competences e.g. employability, business, digital - To establish links with key stakeholders and expand their networks Impact on Organisations - Expand the programmes offered - To eliminate disparities in the region in regards to labour participation of people with disabilities - Create networks for the benefit of fostering equal access in the labour market for YPwDs and increasing the opportunities offered