Pluryn Practice

Pluryn Case study 1 IT-Students with autism in vocational education: The structured classroom (easy read version) Aim: To help IT-students with autism:  Find a job through adapted vocational training  Get extra support in the workplace Motivation:  In IT vocational education there are now more students with autism.  In the IT profession there are now more workers with autism o For example they can be software developers or network administrators.

Why it is necessary to help: The good experiences of employers and schools need to get more attention.

IT employers see a bigger need for IT staff in the future. They also see skills that would be good for people with autism…  But employers have problems with giving extra support to students with autism in their internship.

Schools see opportunities for students with autism in the IT professions….  But they have problems in finding the right training programmes.

For example, programmes on the ability to work with other people.  But they find it difficult to organise such training courses.

For example, difficulties in organising the exams.  But they have problems with the extra support for students.

Providing better information and support Help employers and schools with information about:  background and restrictions of students with autism  the consequences this has on education and professional functioning.

Specifically, help schools with information about:  how to develop training courses for IT-students  different exams for these students  ways for the school to get extra money for this.

With this information these students will have good opportunities on qualifying and finding work in the IT-business.

Schools can share experiences in developing the vocational training programme, exams and support during internships. This means that other schools will be able to offer a suitable vocational education. And they can also involve the IT business in the education programme.

The structured classroom: The ‘structured classroom’ for IT students with autism.

It gives more attention for the special needs of students with autism in their vocational training and in their internships in IT. It includes vocational education programmes with the important ‘soft-skills’ needed to establish a career in IT. Competences like:  giving support  giving attention  showing understanding  collaborate  discuss  establish relationships  networking  presenting  and coping with change.

Instead of broad vocational training, there should be more technical activities and skills. For example network administration, software testing and programming.

There should also be more back-office support. Not only front-office helpdesk activities.

Good practice: REA College Pluryn Many of the different ways of the structured classroom are found at REA College Pluryn. It is a special school for students with disabilities.

It involves employers in all the mainstream and special vocational training. Employers are involved in the structured classroom.

Why   

this is a good practice: Students have a better opportunity for qualifying Students have a better opportunity to find their first job Students have their special needs considered in the school environment and in the training content  Students are encouraged to be productive in IT work that they like and are good at  Employers need this kind of experience to be successful in creating workplaces to employ IT professionals with autism.

Future steps: It would be a real step forward if the adaptations in learning would also be found in the work place.

More information: www.stichtingpraktijkleren.nl/structuurklas.

This website has lots of information on autism and autism in education.

Unfortunately most of the content is in Dutch.