One of the aims of sheltered workshops is to prepare people with disabilities for and support their transition to (supported) employment in the primary labor market. Nevertheless, many people remain in a sheltered workshop for a large part of their working life or even for the entire duration. This is especially true for people with cognitive disabilities. This means that the inclusion goals formulated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD, Art. 27) and reaffirmed in a directive recently adopted by the European Parliament are being missed.

To achieve the goal of (sustainable) transition, the needs of the person with disabilities and the requirements of the labor market must be matched. Counseling plays a central role in this, as it can identify the strengths, interests and training needs of the person seeking advice. At the same time, counselors who work for or in sheltered workshops maintain contact with employers and can serve as door openers. Guidance also helps to ensure that vocational training is tailored to the individual learning needs, skills and goals of the person with disabilities on the one hand and to the needs and (support) opportunities of the labor market on the other.

Include³ will develop resources and a participatory curriculum in an inclusive and co-productive process in which guidance practitioners work together with people with intellectual disabilities, employers and vocational training professionals in workshops to create pathways from targeted training into sustainable and appropriate work in regular employment. The key mechanism is that through this process, vocational education is refocused in an individualized way to prepare for concrete labor market opportunities.