Work Practice and Partnership with Employers Module 7

1. Work Practice and Partnership with EmployersModule 7 Pilot Training Part 1:Work Practice Trainer: Dipl. Soz.- Päd. Carmen Schmidtlein & Päd. MA Katharina Idasiak Part 2: Partnership with Employers Trainer: Josef Schmied & Dagmar Ransmayr

2. Pilot TrainingTransition from School to WorkModule 7Part 1: Work Practice Dipl. Soz.- Päd. Carmen Schmidtlein & Päd. MA Katharina Idasiak ACCESS Integrationsbegleitung gGmbH Michael Vogel str. 1c, 91052 Erlangen, Deutschland

3. Unit 1: Welcome, introduction and overview of the module • Welcome, get known to the participants • Expectations about the module • Overview of the module • Introduction of ACCESS and „Project Jobstart“

4. Overview of module 7 – Part 1: ACESS • Presentation of the support from A till Z of a student with mental/ learning disabilities - Getting known to a student and preparing a practical training - Supporting and coaching a student during a practical training - evaluating a practical training and developing an individual work perspective for the student

5. Overview of module 7 – part 2: partnership with employers • Characteristics of employers‘ expectations (considering good trainees/employees) • Discussing and outlining areas in which an employer may need support (to successfully train/employ a young person) • Explaining what the transition facilitator offers to employers and co-workers • Devising a presentation on the transition service for employers • Discussing communication and language of employers, regarding a good promotion of the pupils and positively influence the companies

6. Who is ACCESS? • Since 1994 ACCESS supports people with disabilities who want to work on the common job market • At the moment: 18 employees • We offer an active company to a selfdeterminent life • ACCESS has disabled employees • ACCESS wants to create and keep jobs for disabled people in cooperation with responsible employers

7. 3 sections of support: -counselling of long term unemployed people with disabilities from Erlangen (Hartz IV) - internal job training for people with mental or learning disabilities who want to work on the common job market (BAT) -supporting and training of students with mental, learning and physical disabilities who want to work on the common job market after school (Jobstart)

8. Project Jobstart • Since 2002 supporting students of 8 cooperating schools • At the moment: 4 employees and 42 students • Financed by the job center and the department for integration for always one year What we offer: • Job experiences and orientation through practical training on the common job market • Analysis of strong and weak points • Personal future planning • Aquisition of practical trainings • Developing of a job perspective

9. Unit 2: Target of the project „Jobstart“ and target group • Target of the project • Professional experiences and trainings in companies of the common job market with job coaching • Training of soft skills and abilities in a work place • Clearing of interessts and possible working fields • See and reflect the real work conditions of the common job market • Application training • Clearing of professional careers and possibilities

10. Students with mental or learning disabilities who don´t want to work in a sheltered workshop after school and have the moti- vation to work and learn in long term practical trainings Students with physical disabilities who have a good final exam, the physical strength and the motivation to do a professional training after school • Target group • Students also need: • Supporting parents • Adequate behaviour and manners • Reliability and independence

11. Unit 3: Specific discharge or our support with a student from the first interview till the end of school • Get to know to a student I.I. Checklist for working skills What is the purpose of this checklist? Why did we develop it? • Bad experiences in the past with the chosen students • Information which skills and abilities are important for a successful participation in the project • Easier for teachers to choose students • Arguments for and against a students participation • Possibility to get many information about a student from school

12. Work order: Develop your own checklist • What is important to know about a new student from the teacher? • Which working skills are needed to make long practical trainings on the common job market? Go together in pairs and create a checklist. Time: 30 min.

13. I.II. Decision for every single student • Teachers discuss which student takes part in the project and fill out the checklists • Meeting with the involved teachers and discuss the single checklists • Decission for certain students and preparing next steps (first interview with parents)

14. I.III. Interview with the student/ parents/ legal guardian Work order: Work out and present how you do first interviews in your work Go together in „country- pairs“ and work out a short presentation of your first interview form/ discharge with a student. (Or how it should look like, if you don´t do first interviews yet, or don´t have an interview form/ discharge yet) Time: 20 min.

15. Parents should bring these documents with them to the first interview: • disablitiy identification • the last school report • assessment forms from earlier practical trainings • medical reports I.IV. About me - student interview sheet Interview work sheet for students • to see in short time how good/ fast a student can read and write on his/ her own • to see what they understand, or how many explanations they need to fill out the interview sheet

16. I.V. School lessons: Why do we do it? What are the contents? • We offer school lessons since school year 2007/ 2008 • Purose: Not only practical training in a company, but also theoretical backround about work/ jobs/ practical training and all what surrouds becoming an employee. • Give students the possibility to reflect their practical training and discuss important themes in a group of students in the same situation and with similar experiences. • Get known to the students better in a different surrounding and in another situation

17. Our current contents: • An image of me Students should deal with their strong points, talents, preferences, experiences and dreams relating to practical training and work. • My strong points and abilities Intensive dealing with strong points/ weak points, characteristics, behavior and attitudes • The interview – I introduce myself How do you introduce yourself, what is interesting for an employer? How do I have to behave and what do I wear? What do I want to know about the practical training and the company? • Work images Students should deal with different work sections and the jobs and demands they have to do there.

18. Behaviours and manners in a practical training What is adequate behavior in a practical training and what is not adequate? How should I behave, what is important to know? How do I feel when I’m treated unfriendly by others? • All around a practical training What expects a company from me as a trainee? What do I have to carry with me? (behaviour, interest, motivation,…) What is written in a contract? What are the worst things, which could happen in a practical training? • Critic and annoyance – How can I handle it? How have students recognized critic or problems yet? How can you react adequate to critic at a practical training and why can critic can be positive too?

19. Why do I want to go to work? What is the difference between school and practical training? Think and talk about different motivations to go to work. Reflect the difference between school and practical training refering to the everyday life. • Team work - what is this? What do students think is teamwork? How can teamwork look like? What are the advantages of teamwork and what happens if it doesn´t work out? • Talking with each other Recognize communication as important element in normal work life and reflect his/ hers own communication behavior. What happens if communication is missing in a team?

20. II. Before a practical training starts II.I. Frame facts of the practical training Duration: • minimum 6 weeks, usually 8- 12 weeks • Mondays – Thursdays, Friday is school visit • no practical training during school holidays Working time: • Depending on the company, but minimum 6 hours Number of practical trainings in a school year: • 11. Grade – minimum 1 practical training • 12. Grade – minimum 2 practical trainings

21. II.II. Acquisition and application form • Individual acquisition for every student, depending on his/ her interests and abilities • Work place in acceptable distance (for reaching it with bus, subway, train, bike, etc.) • Practical training place should be a realistic working place for someone with learing/ mental disabilities (easy structured jobs, less pressure, no responsibility, no professional training needed,…)

22. Acquisition ways: • Internet • Phone • Newspaper • Personal contacts of parents • Former practical training companies who made good experineces with us After a positive reaction of a company we send an application form of the student and arrange an application interview.

23. II.III. School lesson: „I introduce myself“ Why do we do this school lesson? • Applications are totally new for our students • They are excited, nervous, calm, shy,… • Prepare the students for the situation of an application interview and the questions a company could have • Discuss behaviour, clothing and body hygiene

24. Work order: Collect worst case examples: What could happen in an application interview and discuss how you can avoid it. Go together in groups of 3/ 4 people and collect bad situations/ behaviours of students and think about ideas to avoid them. Time: 30 min.

25. II.IV. Mobility practice, contract, information sheet and daily report book Mobility practice: • We practice the way from home to the company and back with the student as often as needed. We must be sure, that he/ her can reach safely and punctually the practical training. Contract: • We make a contract with the company, the school and the student

26. Information sheet: • All what students, their parents and the teachers need to know about the practical training (frame facts) Daily report book: • Write down what they worked every day at the practical training (learn new words and expressions) • They can show it on Friday to their teachers to explain what they learn and do and reflect their work. • They can recognize always recurrent jobs, monotone work and every day work life in a company. • Demand of thinking and writing about the practical training

27. III. Practical training III.I. Working fields/ places for a practical training Not every work place/ job section ist suitable for our students and authentic for later chances of employment. School lesson: „Job images“ Why do we do this lesson: • Open the mind of students for other working fields • Deal with concrete work and demands of a work place • Give students new ideas for practical trainings • Change opinions and precudices about a working field

28. Work order: Deal with authentic working places of our students and discuss what they are doing in this working field and which skills are needed for this job. Discuss the characteristics of the stu- dents and their fitting to the demands of the working place. Go together in pairs and discuss two different working fields. Create a working plan for this practical triaining. Time: 60 min.

29. Individual working plan • Made for every practical training in cooperation with the student and the company III.II. Jobcoaching Jobcoaching takes a lot of space in our individuell work with the students. The concrete support of job coaching is always different, depending on the student and the work place. The company and its staff have to know and understand the role of a jobcoach and must be informed about the restrictions and strong/ weak points of a student to avoid misunderstandings and excessive demands.

30. Why is jobcoaching so important? • To support the students • To relieve the employees at the working place • To get a general idea of the skills and limits of the person you support • To overview the demands of the company • To develop social integration • To gain a look inside the specific culture of the company • To receive knowledge about the company/ employer

31. Principles of jobcoaching: • Middleman The jobcoach is moderating between all persons involved into the progress of integration. • Orientation on skills The work of a jobcoach is based on capabilities- relating to the trainee and the employer. • Acceptance The support has to be organized in a way in which all concerned persons can accept it.

32. Fittingness The support has to be tuned for the varying needs of an employer that means it has to be very individual. • Transparency The ways of qualification and of the support need to be understood by the trainee and the company. The same does apply to the role as jobcoach. • Gain independence The jobcoach supports as much as necessary and as less as possible. The jobcoach takes himself back after a while. Individual aftercare operations are not excluded.

33. Work order: Discuss your support and help as a jobcoach in an authentic case example of a student in a practical training. Also think about the roles a jobcoach could have in his daily work. Go together in pairs and discuss two case examples. Collect the different roles of a jobcoach on cards. Time: 60 min.

34. IV. Evaluation of the practical training IV.I. Evaluation talk After every practical training we have an evaluation talk with the contact person of the company with an evaluation form. Work order: Think about evaluation points in a judge- ment form for the company. Which infor- mation about work behaviour is important for the future planning? Go together in groups of 3 and collect your ideas on cards. Time: 20 min.

35. IV. II. Final report After every practical training we write a final report with our assements, experiences and a perspective for the future support. IV. III. Reflection with the student With every student we reflect the practical training to compare his own assesment with the assesment of the company and discuss weak/ strong points and further planning.

36. Unit 4: Perspectives for our students after finishing school • Employment on the common job market - subvention from the job agency - saving of compensation charge - savings because of reduced work output • Transition to the BvB- measure or supported employment- measure • Visit another school to become a trainee for a professional helper training • Employment in a sheltered workshop for people with mental disabilities

37. Part 2: Transition-Partnerships with Employers Josef Schmied & Dagmar Ransmayr

39. Arguments source: Integration: Österreich, Bilder einer Einstellung 2001

40. “People with disabilities can not perform services!” • All workers/employers should work ability-oriented, the requirements should never be higher, than the abilities • Jobcoaching can help and support in the company/enterprise • An internship gives the possibility of getting to know each other • Weak output can be balanced with government aid

41. „We don‘t fullfil the constructural requirements“ • Handicapped accessible/ barriere free building is anyhow helpful and customer-friendly (mothers with babies, people using a wheelchair,..) • Für rebuilding/reconstruction you can get financial support/government aid • The law for treating people with disabilities equally actually commits to barriere free building!

42. „The co-workers can not cope with a person with handicap“ • Direction/leadership should stand behind the decision and inform co-workers detailled and in time. Give enough time for reflection • Jobcoaching can help and release the co-workers • Interships helps to get to know each other and to inform, to clarify and clear up • One co-worker can take over the mentoring

43. „People with handicap can not be released!“ • If there are problems: support from occupation assistant • Dismissal protection/job protection exists only after 6 months and not • If there is a temporary contract • A legitimate misdoing • If the discontinue of the working contract is by mutual agreement

44. Helpful factors or actions for supported employment coordinator • Detailed and aktive search for working-place • To equate carefully requirements and abilities • Long and intense internship/practicum/training • Jobcoaching – help with preparation • Crisis intervention from supporter • Individual companionship on working place • Professional support in enterprise - mentor • Adaption of working place • Help with applications for funds/financial supports • Good regional contacts • Good contact to employment services • Finding networks with other Integration-centers and -enterprises

45. Profit for Employer • Personalrecruting without costs for employers • Good, friendly, stable and reliable employees, good support • Positive climate in the enterprise • Advantages in contact with customers with disabilities (10% People with handicap in EU) • Social profit, positiv image

46. Key qualifications employers expect Professional Competence professional qualifications learning aptitude Self Competence Identity, motivation concentration, self-reflection, emotional competences Social Competence Communication- and Cooperation-qualification

47. Main expectations • Reliability • Honesty • Exactness • Punctuality • Carefulness • Will to work • Sense of order • Frass/Groyer: Berufsplanung ist Lebensplanung, 1993 ‚7 goodnesses‘

48. Transition-Partnership with employers Internship/Traineeship Source: Kirsten Hohn 2008 Qualitätskriterien für die Vorbereitung, Begleitung und Auswertung von Betriebspraktika

49. Seek for traineeship • Young people seek on their own • Seek with support of integration helper • Telephone book, internet (mercantile directory) • Personal contact (family, relatives) • Enterprises in neighborhood/environments • Enterprises with experience in traineeship • Employment services • Job posting • Internet

50. First contact • Interview • Young person goes on one‘s own • In company with a relative • In company with an Integration helper (who helps and takes fears) • Application file