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Development of a Training path and Training Conten..
Development of a Training path and Training Content on Therapies for Disabled based on Manufacturing Processes and Techniques employed in the Furniture and Woodworking Sector for the Recognition and validation of Skills and Transversal Capacities
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Feb 28, 2017
PROJECT
FINISHED
At least 16% of the EU27 working age population has a disability, many with the ability and the will to work. People with disabilities therefore constitute a significant potential for contribution to the economy and the labor market. The employment rate of disabled people is 50% as opposed to over 68% for non-disabled people, is already an indication that the potential of people with disabilities remains greatly underused. People with disabilities are almost twice as likely to be inactive compared to non-disabled people. Moreover, the likelihood of disability increases with age, and, in the light of the current EU demographic situation, the occurrence of disability is expected to increase. Therefore it is crucial to address the needs of people with disabilities in order to allow them to better integrate into the labor market and to participate in society.
Currently, Associations and Experts providing services for persons with disabilities bet on occupational therapies for assessing the capabilities of each person and their uses and/or possibilities. These therapies aim to achieve persons to be as independent as possible in order to improve and maintain their quality of life. But occupational therapies not only work to break down the barriers which impede individuals in their everyday activities, but it can also work contributing to the social and economic fabric of their communities, identifying and improving the skills of each person in order to define which working activities can users perform in order to work in a specific workplace.
On the other hand, the EU furniture sector is a key driver of sustainable growth with a significant contribution to Europe‘s overall economic health, competitiveness, creativity, innovation, employment and export. The furniture sector, as other traditional industries, is highly dependent on the workforce, and it has been demonstrated in different studies (1) that some industrial tasks from these sectors can be performed by people that have some specific disabilities with a previous assessment of the skills and transversal capacities required for each workplace and the skills and transversal capacities of each person. Therefore, the furniture and woodworking sectors can contribute to labor and social inclusion.
In this context, WOODABILITY brings together a multidisciplinary and transnational partnership formed by 4 entities:
-A Centre supporting disabled people in Vocational Educational Training.
-A Technical and Training Centre specialized in the Furniture and Woodworking sector.
-An international VET Centre for the promotion of Education and Development.
-An University Centre working in the context of learning, lifelong learning and technology supported learning the Innovation in Learning
As a result of all preparation, implementation, dissemination and follow up activities of the project, WOODABILITY will develop and validate a harmonized European Curriculum based on the principles of ECVET for service providers to disabled people through the implementation of occupational therapies focused on furniture manufacturing and wood handcraft. Besides, the participant entities will work in a tool for the recognition and validation of knowledge, skills and transversal capacities based on the development of these therapies.
These results will reach mainly disabled and service providers for disabled, teachers, VET institutions, entrepreneurs and entities from the world of work and Labor inclusion and policy makers in the field of VET, work and Labor inclusion. Some of the long term benefits of WOODABILITY are:
- Reinforcement of the links between training and the world of work.
- Promotion of equity and inclusion in training and labor of disabled people, drop off prevention and encouragement of participation of disabled in society.
- Encouragement of the assessment of transversal skills and the promotion of entrepreneurial experiences in training and work.
- Increase of commitment of local and regional public authorities in the high quality VET offer, labor inclusion by work-based training and the identification of key skills and transversal capacities.
- A cooperation and exchange of experiences among entities from different fields (VET, Higher Education, Industry, etc).
(1) http://www.sefcarm.es/web/pagina?IDCONTENIDO=6835&IDTIPO=246&RASTRO=c$m29945,12510,12873