Guidelines for method development
Guidelines were created to help Career Guidance Counselors in sheltered workshops.
These guidelines aim to:
- Align sheltered vocational education and training (VET) with real job opportunities.
- Address the needs, abilities, and goals of people with intellectual disabilities.
People with intellectual disabilities played a key role in focus groups to ensure the principle “nothing about us without us” was followed.
Events were held to connect VET specialists and employers, focusing on the needs and aspirations of people with intellectual disabilities.
The goal is to:
- Promote innovation in sheltered VET that is focused on the labour market.
- Encourage employers to use the skills learned in sheltered VET.
- Build long-term connections between employers and sheltered VET programs.
Guidelines are developed for the implementation of inclusive and participative processes of Career Guidance Counselors in sheltered workshops so it acts as a pivot, harmonising sheltered VET with concrete labour market opportunities and the needs, capabilities and aspirations of people with intellectual disabilities.
The participation of people with intellectual disabilities in the focus groups was central to producing guidelines for implementation that adhere to the principle “nothing about us without us”. Also by bringing together VET specialists and employers in events that emphasise the needs and aspirations of people with intellectual disabilities, we encourage labour-market oriented innovation in sheltered VET. We encourage employers to make more use of the skills provided in sheltered VET and forge lasting links to sustain exchange.
