RESTART 3
Start date: Sep 1, 2014,
End date: Aug 31, 2016
PROJECT
FINISHED
The Restart 3 Project will address some of the multiple and complex barriers to employment faced by some of Europe's most vulnerable citizens - people with disabilities; people who face economic obstacles, including young people and the long-term unemployed; people facing cultural obstacles such as migrant workers; people who have health problems; people with social obstacles, such as lone parents; and people who face geographical obstacles. Developed in NI in response to the needs of lone parents, the innovative 'Restart' accredited employability programme combines: group work, individual life coaching, a work placement, practical help with CVs and job applications, with advice on personal finances, childcare and transport issues. Restart has been already been successfully adapted for use with lone parents in 7 EU countries (including Poland and Italy) through the successful implementation and delivery of two separate EU projects funded through the LLP Leonardo da Vinci programme: Restart (2010 -2012) and Restart 2 (2012- 2014).
The Restart 3 project will adapt the Restart programme for use with other disadvantaged groups: people with disabilities in NI, people from migrant backgrounds in Poland, young people in Italy and lone parents in Spain, all of whom are at high risk of becoming excluded from education, training, employment and full participation in society. This project seeks to implement the adaptation and evaluation findings from the previous Restart 1 & 2 projects and will follow a similar methodology thus bringing added value to the new project in terms of its evidence base and lead partner Possibilities NI's experience of delivery in Europe using a tested and successful methodology. The project will research the needs of each of the target groups in their respective country contexts, the Restart programme will then be adapted, translated where appropriate, pilot tested with a small group in each country (up to 10) and validated with methodology guidelines and reports created to document each stage of the project. Stakeholder seminars will be held for relevant stakeholders to assist with the programme import, delivery and sustainability of the Restart programme in each partner country. The project will also be evaluated and all of the reports will be combined to form the overall project report and final dissemination event will held in Belfast. A project website and a project film will be created and all the project outputs will be disseminated widely by all the partners at national and international stakeholders.
The project will strongly link to the Europe 2020 Strategy (including headline education, employment and poverty targets) by ensuring that the most vulnerable people in society - young people, migrants, lone parents and people with disabilities do not get left behind or become further socially excluded. The Project relates directly to the Erasmus+ objectives on equity and inclusion by promoting and facilitating access to the labour market, training and mobility opportunities to citizens from disadvantaged backgrounds at high risk of social exclusion and contributes to the strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training by linking to ECVET and supporting the adoption of EU transparency and recognition tools such as Europass, EQF and ECVET.
The project will have a positive impact in respect of employment outcomes and contribution towards local regeneration and will also impact positively on beneficiaries taking part in the pilot in each transfer country by helping them move towards their goal of securing employment and achieving accreditation. The project will also have a positive impact in terms of usefulness for VET providers, employers and agencies working to support each of the target groups and will help reduce the number of unemployed persons within each of the partner countries by encouraging each partner to accredit and mainstream the programme for future and continued use. It will provide an opportunity for VET practitioners and managers to learn and develop new skills sets and areas of expertise with possible adaptation for e-learning and use with other groups. The transfer and adaptation of the Restart model across Europe will also lead to a reduction in poverty levels among one parent families and the other disadvantaged groups at risk of social exclusion targeted by the project including economically inactive young people, people with disabilities and unemployed migrants. We also anticipate improved access to employment in each geographical area in which it is piloted and this will be assessed using feedback from the Stakeholders Forums in each country. Increasing cooperation of organisations and groups within Europe working with target groups and/or working in the field of lifelong learning and Erasmus+