South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk) and Finnish Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (FAIDD) conduct a development project during the year 2017 in order to provide support for young people with learning difficulties to find jobs in Southern Savo region. The project has gained funding from European Social Fund and Centre for Economic Development, Transport and Environment.
There will be support for young people with learning difficulties to get a job from open labour markets. Professionals in the service sector feel, that there are no sufficient tools available to support these young people to get employed and many young people feel, that they don´t get sufficient support in finding a workplace.
There is a need in the service system to develop tools, practices and forms of client-work with which their opportunities to get a job could be enhanced. This project counters those challenges for its part.
EMPLOYMENT TRAINING TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET A JOB
A special, supportive training model is experimented in the project. The model is experimented with collaborative action between young people with learning difficulties, employers and employment trainers. It is crucial in the experiment to meet the needs of young people for special support in working-life processes in order to define a set of personal support for them. There will also be help for young people with learning difficulties to seek for workplaces In Southern Savo region.
The project enables young people and employers to encounter so that prejudices towards learning difficulties will diminish, social skills of young people will accumulate and knowledge concerning practices of working life will increase.
Project has gained backing from provincial employment, educational and youth services as well as private and social enterprises. There will be efforts to establish the model in the sector of services provided for young people so that it´s possible to develop it further for provincial needs.