Announcing UEmploy - Promoting employment for European citizens with disabilities

The UEmploy project brings together the expertise of Enable Ireland and six partner organisations to promote employment for European citizens with disabilities. Disability organisations from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Finland and Ireland will develop, test and introduce a consultancy model to be rolled out in each country.

The aim of the project is to create a range of services and solutions to support both people with disabilities and employers. Many companies realize that inclusive employment is an effective strategy. It enhances productivity and also meets corporate social responsibility targets. But most employers still have no real experience of employing a disabled person. Proactive cooperation with employers is needed. This counteracts stereotypes prevents discrimination and demonstrates the real advantages that stem from using the skills and capacities of employees with disabilities.

The UEmploy partners

• carry out national studies and present findings in the UEmploy European Report
• develop consultancy instruments (checklists and tools to describe job-specific competencies, support for job-matching processes, potential problem identification, analysis of environmental obstacles, provision of employer recommendations)
• train consultants
• pilot the elaborated consultancy model
• develop consultancy networks
• launch awareness campaigns to promote the importance of inclusive employment and the valuable contribution people with disabilities can make
• forge dynamic links with business and public agencies to ensure sustainability of the consultancy services.

The kick-off project meeting took place in Iasi, Romania, on 20-21 January 2011. At this, partners started the team building process, provided and exchanged information on all project aspects, agreed partner roles and tasks and planned in detail the project work between the first and second meetings. The partners demonstrated a high level of commitment to project cooperation and target.

The second project meeting was held in the end of June 2011 in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was focused on analysis results of the project survey carried out among employers in the project partner countries, discussions on the findings provided by the national reports and structure of the common European Report. The partners agreed on project training materials and specified the dates and programme for the anticipated training of consultants in each partner country. The meeting in Sofia confirmed common understanding of the project goals by all the members of the UEmploy consortium and their efforts to make the labour market more accessible to people with disabilities.
National reports and European Report
 

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