The main problem we want to solve is the low employment rate among young persons with disabilities in the EU countries compared to people without disabilities. The employment gap begins early in life, as young people with disabilities encounter numerous obstacles in the education system. Consequently, they often leave school prematurely and become NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training). Specialists and career counsellors supporting young people with disabilities face several challenges. Interventions often lack the necessary flexibility, are implemented too late, and are not sufficiently integrated into broader policies and initiatives. Additionally, Public Employment Services struggle to effectively engage these groups, as evidenced by a lower proportion of NEETs with disabilities being registered with PES compared to individuals without disabilities. Therefore, activities supporting youth with disabilities should be undertaken at the early stage of their life and should facilitate their school-to-work transition. They should be flexible and tailored to their needs. Extensive cooperation with local stakeholders is needed for effective outreach.
The social innovation planned within this project aims to improve the employment chances of young persons with disabilities and increase the quality of their employment. We will achieve this goal by improving the quality of support addressed to this group in the process of professional activation. In particular, we will design, test, and disseminate the Job Crafting model. This model aims to empower unemployed individuals to proactively shape their work environments and enhance their work engagement. Unlike other methods, such as standard support from a job coach, Job Crafting emphasises the employee's independent initiation of actions. It does not focus on showing how to perform tasks at work but on the broader needs of people with disabilities related to a sense of job satisfaction. Job crafters support employees in actively shaping their tasks and relationships with other employees. Other approaches do not place so much emphasis on the sense of control and agency. The Job Crafting approach helps to increase job satisfaction, motivation, and performance.
Expected impacts and their measurement
The social impact of the project is to pave the way towards creating a better working environment in employment support offered to young people with disabilities, in particular those from disfavored areas. This will be achieved through a higher employment rate among NEETs and better-quality employment. From a broader perspective, the project will increase the number of individuals supported by Job Crafting (JC) and improve their skills, motivations and aspirations to live an independent life without stigma. The economic impact will manifest in increasing European NGOs' capacity to implement the JC. It will be measured by the number of NGOs successfully implementing the JC methodology. It will also play a role in greater understanding and awareness among employers and the staff about the vulnerable people's day-to-day challenges in finding and maintaining valuable jobs. Additionally, the project will increase the capacity of job counsellors working with (young) people with disabilities and upshift their competencies. It can be measured by the number of professional staff upgrading their capacities within their scope of work. At the international and national level, the positive effect on the project implementation will also be visible through public employment services that will acquire JC methodology and introduce it to their standard employment policies. The project also aims to influence the policy-making solutions offered to the young NEETS through the parliamentary hearing. It can be measured by the number of MEPs present at the hearing and by initiating legal solutions for the target group. The project's added value is the multidimensional focus on employment discrimination and inclusion (in several dimensions: gender, education, and disability). Discrimination in the labour market harms the EU economy and social cohesion. It will help to tackle this ubiquitous challenge in the EU.
