Slovenia - Learnabil-IT country mapping by EPR - European Platform for Rehabilitation

Mutual Learning on Skills for the ICT Labour Market for People with Disabilities

Country Mapping – Slovenia Mapping cooperation mechanisms in Slovenia between employers and vocational education and training providers in the ICT sector

Andreja Švajger, Aleksandra Denša University Rehabilitation Institute of Slovenia

Ljubljana, Slovenia 2014

1 European Union Programme for Employment and This publication is supported by the Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013). The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.

Table of Contents I. Mapping collaboration practices at national level ............................................... 3 1. Contextual information ...................................................................................... 3 2. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) services provided by the author organisation ..... 5 3. The ICT labour market....................................................................................... 6 4. Description of existing cooperation mechanisms and structures ....................... 9 5. Results ............................................................................................................ 14 6. Gaps, suggestions for improvements and opportunities .................................. 16 7. Conclusions and lessons learned .................................................................... 18 II. Selection of good practices ............................................................................... 19 1. Case Study 1: On-the-job training of 'RJ' in the Prizma D.O.O. Call centre ….19 2. Case study 2: On–the-job training leading to supported employment on the open labour market: 'AD' in the IT TIM ............................................................ 22 3. Case study 3: Job placement in the open labour market with parallel advice from VRC: employment of 'NN' in T2 D.O.O. .................................................. 25 4. Case study 4: Successful mainstream employment of 'MM' in T2 D.O.O. without VET/VR intervention ........................................................................... 28 List of interviewees…………………………………………………………………………30

I. Mapping collaboration practices at national level 1. Contextual information Definitions According to the Slovenian Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act1 (ZZRZI), a person with disability (PwD) is defined as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a person who has acquired the status of a person with disability in line with this Act or other regulations and a person in relation to whom a competent authority has, by means of a decision, ascertained permanent consequences of a physical or mental disability or illness and whose prospects of securing, retaining and advancing in employment are reduced due to disability substantially.â&#x20AC;? Together with the Pension and disability insurance Act (ZPIZ 2)2, ZZRZI regulates the provision of vocational rehabilitation and employment services to PwD. They are also provided according to article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. According to data from the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS), PwD have in recent years represented on average 14,9% of all unemployed persons in Slovenia. Among the active PwD (registered at the ESS), 29% on average are unemployed. This rate has been increasing since 2008 and reached 36,8% in 2012. From 2010 until 2013 alone, the unemployment rate among PwD increased by 33%3. According to current data4, the ICT sector in Slovenia employs more than 20,000 people in some 2,600 large, small, medium and micro enterprises that provide the following: telecommunication equipment and services, IT services, hardware, software, equipment distribution and web services. Statistical data show that the ICT sector was the only sector that has shown distinct and constant value added growth rate by activities and by GDP5 in Slovenia in 2013. Vocational education and training in ICT skills in Slovenia are provided through formal educational programmes on different levels. There are no VET programmes that would specifically offer services to PwD. As a result, PwD normally participate in mainstream programmes with necessary support and adaptations. These are described in the next paragraph. Some programmes also take place in specialised organisations for children and youngsters with disabilities, and these need to achieve the same qualification standards as mainstream organisations. Any knowledge and skills, including ICT, that people develop through informal learning methods such as self-learning, courses, internet, student work etc., can be certified through the National Occupational Qualification system, which is described in more detail in chapter 3.

Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004 https://www.uradni-list.si/1/index?edition=201296#!/Uradni-list-RS-st-96-2012-z-dne-14-12-2012 3 http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/invalidi_vzv/Mreza_izvajalcev_ZR _2014-2020.pdf 4 http://www.investslovenia.org/industries/ict/ 5 https://www.stat.si/eng/novica_prikazi.aspx?id=6087 2

National context The Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act6 (ZZRZI) defines and regulates the process and steps for providing vocational rehabilitation (VR) to PwD. It encompasses “services carried out with the aim of training PwD for appropriate work, of helping them to obtain and retain employment, to progress within it, or to change career”. It also introduces the quota system, under which all employers who employ more than 5 persons must employ between 2-6% of PwD or pay a fee to the Public Guarantee, Maintenance and Disability Fund7. This fund also finances benefits to employers in relation to employment of PwD, such as wage subsidies, workplace adjustments and workplace support. According to the ZZRZI, support to employers and PwD employees is also provided and funded after employment, as well as to PwD in or throughout supported sheltered employment. Services are provided through the national “Network for vocational rehabilitation” which covers all PwD target groups across the Slovenian territory. In the 20142020 programme 1 980 PwD will be included in the vocational rehabilitation programmes, as part of 18 professional teams in their local communities8. The education and vocational training of PwD is regulated by the umbrella Placement of Children with Special Needs Act9 This defines methods for providing inclusive education and training on all levels, including secondary and tertiary levels. Support at primary and secondary level is provided through the National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. This mostly includes additional professional help to overcome limitations, barriers and disorders, physical help (personal assistance) as well as providing adapted methods for examinations. Some of the educational programmes (VET) are also provided in specialised centres for education, rehabilitation and training of PwD, e.g. CIRIUS Kamnik10. There students can also gain ICT qualifications for jobs such as technological process assistants, electricians, computing technicians and electro technicians. Adapted education and support is offered to the most severely physically disabled students who cannot attend mainstream education. At faculty and university levels, the rights of special needs students are maintained by the universities and provided mostly through university career centres11 or specialised counselling student organisations12. The support includes individualised adaptation of the study programme, tutoring and counselling. Each university member (faculty) provides support to their students. As a driving, growing sector, the ICT sector in Slovenia also offers many opportunities for employing PwD with different kinds of disabilities. Many PwD can identify themselves with ICT jobs. One certain advantage is the possibility to work from home, telework or combine the two.

Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004 http://www.jpi-sklad.si/skladi/invalidski-sklad/ 8 http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/invalidi_vzv/Mreza_izvajalcev_ZR _2014-2020.pdf 9 Official Gazette RS, No 90/ 2012; http://www.uradni-list.si/1/objava.jsp?urlid=201290&stevilka=3531 10 http://www.cirius-kamnik.si/en 11 http://www.uni-lj.si/studij/studenti_s_posebnimi_potrebami/, http://www.kc.uni-mb.si/studenti/osebe-sposebnimi-potrebami/ 12 http://www.svetovalnica.com/studenti-s-posebnimi-potrebam 7

2. Vocational rehabilitation (VR) services provided by the author organisation The University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia (URI) is the central rehabilitation organisation in Slovenia, providing comprehensive rehabilitation programmes to PwD, including vocational rehabilitation and employment13. The URI employs more than 500 employees, 50 in the Vocational rehabilitation centre (VRC). The VRC provides services in particular to persons going back to a previous position, or those entering the labour market after a period of unemployment. Its main referral agencies include health insurance (personal doctors) and an employment service. Services are conducted by an interdisciplinary team which comprises an occupational medicine specialist, psychologist, social worker, occupational therapist, special needs teacher (for blind and partially sighted) and rehabilitation trainer/instructor. The VRC operates at 2 major locations: Ljubljana (central Slovenia) and Maribor (with Murska Sobota and Ptuj units - eastern Slovenia). For unemployed persons, the VRC provides services with 5-3 teams, which represents 30% of the national network of VR providers. One of the Ljubljana VRC teams conducts VR for blind and partially sighted persons for the whole of Slovenia. Approximately 600 PwD participate annually in the VRC programmes. Their disabilities include physical (trauma, neurological, brain injury, musculoskeletal disorders, developmental etc.), mental health disorders, and blind and partially sighted disabilities. Most are between 15 and 55 years of age, with an average education of 3-4 years of vocational education. URI provides PwD with training in specific work skills, including ICT. This is carried out by organising on-the-job training with employers, referring participants to formal VET programmes or to courses, and preparing them for the National Occupational Qualification. The ultimate goal of the VR process is employment or another type of social inclusion. The VR programme starts with a 2 week needs-assessment. The clients are active participants in this process and contribute their perspective and goals to creating an individual rehabilitation plan (IRP). The VR process is applied by case management and empowerment approaches. It is very much based on on-the-job training (OJT) in a real work environment. This is the main vocational rehabilitation strategy and cooperation mechanism which is defined by the national Standards of vocational rehabilitation and employment of PwD in Slovenia 14. VR can last from a few weeks up to 2 years, depending on the severity of disability and on labour market possibilities. If necessary, clients are included at the beginning in preparatory general work skills training and competence building in VRC, which aims to prepare them for the on-the-job training with employers. This training may also cover basic ICT skills â&#x20AC;&#x201C; individually or in small groups. VR teams and the clients themselves are very active in looking for and contacting employers that can offer appropriate work experience through on-the-job training to clients and also employment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if possible.

13 14

http://www.ir-rs.si/en/Center_for_vocational_rehabilitation/ http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/standardi_storitev_zr.pdf

A crucial strategy for successful collaboration with employers is to ensure quality matching of clients’ abilities with work demands. This is done through workplace analysis and approved by the occupational medicine doctor for health and safety aspects. When necessary, workplace accommodation is provided, and clients can borrow specialised equipment. Searches for jobs and suitable employers are based on clients’ skills, knowledge and those interests which enable clients to find and develop the type of work-related competences that the labour market requires. By offering continuous support to clients and employers during on-the-job training, VRC professionals increase instances of employment after training. And support after PwD have gained employment boosts both their initial and longterm job retention, having been referred to URI. The cooperation mechanisms are universal and are applied to all employers, including ICT. According to national standards requirements, URI keeps a register of employers, including information about the employers’ details, type of cooperation and results. This information is accessible to all team members and can be used for current or future inquires. VRC also informs employers about the demands for on-the-job training through the website: http://cpr.uri-soca.si/sl/Mini_borza_dela/

3. The ICT labour market UMAR15 (Slovenian institute for macroeconomic analysis and development) reports that a work force which is large enough and sufficiently qualified is crucial to improve ICT use and create new solutions and business models. The fact that ICT is used widely in private and public sectors means that demand for such work force can be expected to increase, and this will add to the existing shortfall. The number of ICT graduates is insufficient, despite the growing number of places in education. A lack of proper practical training during education and poor collaboration between education and employers are additional problems. This situation was confirmed by the representatives of the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS), Regional office Ljubljana:16 The ESS Regional office in Ljubljana is the largest in Slovenia, covering 1/3 of job vacancies reported by Slovenian employers and servicing ¼ of registered unemployed persons in the country. For several years, the regional office has been facing a constant shortage of professionals in the area of ICT. Consequently, job seekers registered at ESS were unable to fill open vacancies. One representative of the ICT employers – Mrs. Bojana Korošec, HR manager at Špica international d.o.o. - reported that most of their collaboration with the ESS is in relation to employment subsidies. However she does not see these subsidies to be a decisive factor, compared to competences. The company mostly recruits appropriate candidates directly from sources like the Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, or through joint projects like the yearly Job Fair: http://2014.jobfair.si/. Students get involved in their work on certain projects during their studies and may become employed after they have graduated. In fact, most of their present employees have entered the company in this way.

15 16

UMAR: Report on development 2013., Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia 2013 Ms Brigita Anzeljc, head of Labour office Ljubljana and Mr Sandi Meke, coordinator of cooperation with employers

The 2008 – 2012 analysis of the job demands on the labour market, conducted by The National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (CPI)17 and ESS, showed that ICT18 employers mostly search for candidates from the educational/qualification areas of electrical engineering, mechatronics, computer science and informatics. In electro technology, most requests are for employees who have a secondary level of education, while in mechatronics, computer and information science, most employers expect knowledge and skills at secondary, diploma and university level. The most frequently sought jobs include computer programming, product development, ICT network and system operators and analysts. A comparison with ESS statistics from 200519 show that labour market demands from the ICT sector represented an average of 2% of all demands up until 2013. This has risen to 4% in the first 2 months of 2014. While these demands are specifically related to the ICT sector, there are also many ICT jobs needed in other sectors. In interviews and the focus group, representatives of employment agencies, ICT employers, VR service providers, ICT education programmes, and university career centres (see Table 7 at the end of the report) have identified the following ICT- related technical skills expected by employers now and in the next 5 years:           

The best possible ICT literacy and interest in this type of work Language skills ( including foreign languages, especially English) -Mainstream and adapted video and audio technology skills (especially deaf and hardof-hearing, blind and partially sighted) Use of social networking services ICT products development and programming System administrating Cloud computing, IP technologies Skills for customer support, call centres, help desks Website creation, design and maintenance A certain level of specific ICT competences before entering on-the-job training: technical competences in using computers, TV, telecommunications Certifications of ICT skills and knowledge (e.g. CISCO)

They also found it important that candidates for ICT jobs had a certain level of personal skills. While these differ depending on the type of work, in general they would appreciate:     

General literacy and broad general knowledge Ability and readiness to learn and adopt new knowledge and skills Ability and interest for self-development Good communication and team work skills Foreign language skills (especially English)

For work which is more administrative, or involves more creativity or problem solving, employers seek leadership, communication, initiative and creativity. For product development they look for agility, reaching beyond expectations, flexibility, “sports spirit”, openness, competitiveness, and the ability to “look outside the box”. Candidates should be able to work 17

http://www.cpi.si/en/about-cpi.aspx http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/NPKbrosura2_170x230_splet.pdf 19 http://www.ess.gov.si/trg_dela/trg_dela_v_stevilkah/prosta_delovna_mesta 18

in a team and individually. This including ensuring employers do not become alienated from social interactions because of the distance from work (for example, when working from home). The participants in the interviews and the focus group also emphasised the following barriers and risks related to employment of PwD: PwD:

 Insufficient computer and communication competences  Lack of the specific ICT knowledge which is required by ICT employers  PwD are often limited by disability-related issues – poor endurance, attention span, adaptability to changes, ability to learn etc. Yet ICT jobs are often project-based and may require long working hours and the need to meet deadlines, etc. Persons with mental health problems are especially weak in communication.  Lack of interest to work in ICT sector Employers: 

Not well enough informed about the possibilities of employing PwD

 Except for highly technologically trained professionals, some large ICT employers are currently not employing new workers because of the economic crisis. Instead, they are pursuing internal restructuring.  The international structure of many ICT companies means that issues can arise in getting approval from top management  Employers are unwilling or lack resources (especially time) to train new staff: they expect ready-trained candidates  The programmes and work demands can involve rapid change – which PwD may not be able to keep up with  There is a fear of employing PwD: employers face additional legal obligations thanks to extra protection and rights, and this limits the flexibility of the employer in the market  Prejudices and fear still exist about PwD  Employers lack knowledge about abilities of PwD, how to work with them or provide mentoring System / environment:

 Bureaucratisation of procedures in relation to VR and employment of PwD 

PwD and other young job-seekers that have completed education or training (including in ICT) are not identified early enough after registering at the employment service. This would prevent knowledge loss and failing self-confidence around their own work-related competencies



Large ICT employers fulfil the quota of PwD with their current employees and are less interested in employing new PwD



ESS does not provide enough training for unemployed persons (including PwD) in ICT skills, although they do have the abilities and interest (in areas such as website creation and design), and this would increase their employment possibilities



Study programmes at the universities are not developed with enough consideration for employers’ needs



The employment service does not always acknowledge the benefits of financing formal training of PwD in ICT skills



It is difficult to present the benefits of employing PwD in the context of high unemployment, because there are many candidates without any disability.

4. Description of existing cooperation mechanisms and structures This section describes the main formal mechanisms, tools and structures. At URI, there are specific collaboration mechanisms with employers to enable on-the-job training (OJT), employment and support after employment. They include the following activities which are summarised in the table below: Activity

Labour market search

Actors URI professionals (especially social workers), clients

Time/ frequency on-going

Form

Individual

Weekly

Group

on-going

Individual

Contacting employers

Employers, URI professionals (especially social workers), clients

Workplace analysis

Employer, URI occupational medicine doctor, other professionals

For every client

Individual

Developing a job description

URI professionals, employer

For every client

Individual

Developing “Health related workplace precautions”

Occupational medicine doctor

For every client

Individual

Developing an Individual workplace adaptation plan

URI professionals (especially occupational therapists, technologists), employer

For every client

Individual

Signing an “On the job training” contract”

URI, employer, client

For every client

Tripartite

Lending adapted equipment

URI professionals, employer

Whenever necessary

Individual

Support to clients and employers during OJT

URI professionals

Whenever necessary

Individual

URI professionals, client, employer

Ongoing/ at least weekly

Individual

Employer, URI professionals

Monthly

Client, URI professionals

Monthly

Follow up during OJT

Monthly Final OJT evaluation establishing work efficiency, need for support and workplace adaptations

Individual (questionnaire and personal) Individual (questionnaire and personal) Group

URI professionals, client, employer

At the end of VR

Individual

Counselling employers about managing the procedures in URI professionals, relation to entitlement to wage employer, ESS, subsidies, and reimbursement Disability fund of costs of workplace adaptation and support to PwD

At the end of VR

Individual

Follow up and support after employment

All through employment/ at least 1 year

Individual

URI professionals

Table: URI collaboration mechanisms with employers

Employment service of Slovenia (ESS): Employers counselling and support service: ESS has specialised employment advisers who help employers in all aspects of recruiting new personnel. These include providing information and advice, publishing job vacancies, providing job-matching activities, advice on relevant active labour market policy measures, etc. Information and directions specific to employment of persons with disabilities in Slovenia are also available to employers on the ESS website: http://www.ess.gov.si/delodajalci/zaposlovanje_in_delo_invalidov

Vocational rehabilitation programmes: as defined by the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons Act (ZZRZI)20 and implemented through the Standards of vocational rehabilitation and employment of PwD in Slovenia21. Includes the following cooperation mechanisms and strategies for PwD and employers:  

Counselling, encouraging and motivating an active role of persons with disabilities Preparing an assessment on the level of work ability, knowledge, work habits and vocational interests (needs assessment and individual rehabilitation planning)



Assistance with accepting own disability and learning about possibilities of participating in training and work



Assistance with choosing appropriate vocational goals



Developing social skills

Assistance with defining suitable work and searching for employment 

Workplace and work environment analysis



Preparing a plan for workplace and work environment accommodation



Preparing a plan of required work equipment and aids

On the job training 

Follow-up and professional support with training and education



Follow-up after employment



Continuous evaluation of rehabilitation process



Assessment of workplace efficiency during training and employment



Supported employment services after employment

On the job training as a mainstream active employment policy measure (up to 3 months for PwD) – KCM Work trialling as a mainstream active employment policy measure (1 month) Community work placements (ESS subsidised employment) for up to 24 months for PwD) – although these are only for non-profit organisations, and there are only a few ICT employers able to tender for them

National Occupational Qualification (NOQ) In Slovenia, an occupational qualification can be gained either by completing formal vocational or professional education programmes or by assessment and National Occupational Qualification accreditation. This is a formally recognised competence required for practising the occupation on the basis of the national occupational standard. Educational programmes are drawn up and implemented in accordance with the Vocational and Professional Education Act (1996), which falls within the sphere of responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Sport in cooperation with the social partners. 20 21

Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004 http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/standardi_storitev_zr.pdf

The traditionally established schooling path which leads to the acquisition of occupational qualifications is intended for both young people and adults. However school certificates are starting to lose their place as the only guarantee that confirms the occupational competence of their holder. Certification models are being developed throughout Europe, above all as assessment and accreditation systems of informally acquired knowledge. While looking for methods to measure competence, the focus is increasingly moving towards the ability to 'mobilise' knowledge, skills, habits and actions in order to perform work tasks in various circumstances. The National Institute for Vocational Education and Training (CPI)22 is the central development and advisory institution for VET in Slovenia. Its basic task is to create professional bases and methodology for competence-based occupational standards, as well as develop educational programmes and other activities, including integrating education and work spheres. They enable fundamental vocational qualifications, linking education with the labour market, employability, lifelong learning and equal opportunities irrespective of gender and other characteristics. In collaboration with the ESS, CPI systematically analyses demands on the labour market in relation to formal and informal education and training for different jobs, including ICT. This collaboration includes ongoing analyses of labour market demands such as the one from 201223. The ESS provides information about short term demands and discrepancies between labour market supply and demand. The CPI uses this information to prepare occupational standards and develop and modernise educational programmes. These standards are based upon competences and knowledge related to successful workplace performance. When compiling these reports, employers are not contacted directly. The analyses show the continuing discrepancy between labour market supply and demand in terms of education, and also for certain ICT jobs. The reports also aim to influence policy makers in the area of education by providing evidence about the deepening mismatch between supply and demand on the labour market, the results of efforts to increase the general level of education in Slovenia in the last twenty years, which did not properly take into consideration economic needs and potential. The existence of this mismatch was also confirmed by the representatives of Telekom Slovenije24, the largest ICT employer in Slovenia, and Iskratel, one of the leading telecommunications equipment and solutions providers.

Work experience Work experience includes apprenticeships, traineeships and other forms of work-based learning during formal education. It is provided on secondary and university levels: Vocational education and training (VET) (secondary level) Part of the curricula in VET organisations encompasses work experience with employers. This is also standardised by the National Institute for vocational Education and Training

http://www.cpi.si/en/about-cpi.aspx http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/NPKbrosura2_170x230_splet.pdf 24 http://www.telekom.si/en 23

(CPI)25. Successful implementation of the work experience programme is achieved through collaboration between VET organisations and employers. It is especially aimed at providing a social experience which develops skills and knowledge in a working environment, while understanding working environment dynamics and experiencing common responsibility for work achievements. Each VET organisation has a work experience coordinator who collaborates with employers. Adjustments for special needs students are provided according to related legislation - the Placement of Children with Special Needs Act26. Coordination and implementation is regulated and described in the guidelines for work placement coordinators, guidelines for students, practical examination references and other supporting documents. University career centres27 Slovenian universities offer career support to students through University career centres. For example, the career centre in Ljubljana provides the following support mechanisms and strategies: 

Career consultations on an individual basis and in groups (advice on choosing a study programme, on entering into employment, on preparing a career plan);



Free workshops and other additional education for students to gain further competencies and practical knowledge for more effective entry into the labour market;



Information on first-, second- and third-cycle studies;



Information on employment opportunities after graduation;



Presentations of employers and employment opportunities in their organisations to establish contact between students and potential employers even before graduation;



Study visits to organisations where students get to see first-hand the real working environment.

In order to achieve the established goals, career centres offer potential employers the following free options to participate, through: 

Advertising job vacancies, student jobs and student practice;



Publishing calls for company scholarships;



Presenting employers and employment opportunities to graduates at University of Ljubljana faculties/academies;



Visits by students to actual working environments;



Information on study programmes at the University of Ljubljana and higher education reform in light of the Bologna reform;



Other services upon agreement (case studies, roundtables, career days and similar).

Career centres also offer individualised support to students with special needs28. They provide individual career counselling, career plan preparation, training for additional skills, visits to work environments, contacts with employers, transition from study to employment 25

http://www.cpi.si/kurikul/podlage-za-pripravo-izobrazevalnih-programov/prakticno-usposabljanje-z-delompud.aspxb 26 Official Gazette RS, No 90/ 2012; http://www.uradni-list.si/1/objava.jsp?urlid=201290&stevilka=3531 27 http://kc.uni-lj.si/en/storitve 28 http://www.uni-lj.si/studij/studenti_s_posebnimi_potrebami/, http://www.kc.uni-mb.si/studenti/osebe-sposebnimi-potrebami/

and other activities. Support to these students is also offered by the Slovenian association of students with special needs.

Student work Student work is provided by student work organisations. It presents a transitional way for employers and students to get in touch and provides specific work experience and training for potential employees. The representative of an ICT employer in this survey noted that all current employees had entered the company through this form of student work. Contacts between employers and students and payment are managed by Student work services.

Informal ways of collaborating with employers The interviewees, VR providersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; professionals, best practice cases and participants in the focus group also presented the importance of ad hoc and informal ways of collaborating with employers. The service users emphasised the power of personal recommendations and of seizing every opportunity to present oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competences to potential employers. VR service providers acknowledged the importance of taking every chance to raise awareness, inform and advise employers about the possibilities of employing PwD.

5. Results Collaboration with employers during VR in URI and Slovenia The Development centre for vocational rehabilitation annually evaluates the extent of collaboration with employers on individual service provider level and on national network of VR service providers level. The URI VR teams represent about 30% of the national network. Table 1 presents the numbers of employers with whom URI professionals have collaborated annually. Since 2009, there is additional information on the proportion of active employers. URI professionals have collaborated with these employers in various ways, including on-thejob training, workplace analysis/adaptations, follow up during training, support and follow up after employment. They have also applied other collaboration mechanisms, which are presented in Table 2. In relation to the whole network, URI has 20% more active employers. The trend of growth changed in 2012 due to limited financing for VR. The estimation from available data is that URI has collaborated with up to 10% of ICT employers, with the majority of jobs being in call centres. There is no data or estimation about the proportion of ICT employers on the level of the national network. Another result from the collaboration mechanisms with employers is the number of clients who participated in on-the-job training. These are provided in Table 3. As can be seen from Table 3, URI professionals annually actively collaborate with 250-300 different employers. Given that between 200 and 260 PwD participate annually in the VRC programmes, this means there is a great variety of workplaces for on-the-job training and employment opportunities, especially because one employer can offer several job descriptions. This high number also results from the fact that prior to successful employment, clients and employers need to have several different work experiences.

VR service providers

2008 T o t a l

2009

N e w

T o t a l

2010

N e w

A c t i v e

T o t a l

2011

N e w

A c t i v e

T o t a l

2012

N e w

A c t i v e

T o t a l

N e w

Ac tiv e

VRC URI (all units)

305

351

153

450

109

260

502

176

279

308

202 66%

TOTAL VR NETWORK IN SLOVENIA

1023

287

1194

218

529

1356

313

634

1564

367

731

1617

333

740 46%

Table 2: Number of employers, collaborating with VR service providers

VR service providers

2009

2010

2011

2012

VRC URI ( all units)

191

200

243

261

TOTAL VR NETWORK IN SLOVENIA

492

565

705

822

Table 3: Number of PwD participating in on the job training with employers

Outcomes of Vocational rehabilitation (VR) programmes in Slovenia, 2012 According to the latest annual report from the Development centre for vocational rehabilitation, 1 615 PwD participated in vocational rehabilitation programmes in 2012. Table 4 presents different outcomes into employment from VR for 2012. According to the VR providersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; data, 301 out of 738 PwD (40%) who completed the programme gained new employment of various types after VR in Slovenia. This number is higher than in 2010 (169) and 2011 (238). The majority (37,5%) were employed in enterprises which employ PwD. These are companies with share capital that have a special status according to the ZZRZI, employing at least 40% of PwD. Type of outcome

All VR service providers

Mainstream employment

20,3

Supported mainstream employment

7,0

Employment in enterprises, employing PwD

113

37,5

Sheltered employment (employment centre)

15,6

Community work placement

19,6

Total

301

Table 4: Outcomes of employment from vocational rehabilitation 2012 in Slovenia

In 2012, new employment instances in enterprises which employ PwD were followed by instances in mainstream employment (20%), community work placements (19,6%) and sheltered employment (15,6%). ESS does not report on the specific jobs PwD were placed in with these employers. In the Ljubljana VRC, the author organisation, the proportions of outcomes of employment by types differ from the national. This is shown in Table 5. In contrast to the national level, the majority (33,3%) of outcomes were in mainstream employment and only 5,6% in enterprises which employ PwD. Type of Employment

VRC Ljubljana

Mainstream employment

33,3

Supported mainstream employment

16,7

Employment in enterprises, employing PwD

5,6

Sheltered employment (employment centre)

22,2

Community work placement

4 18

22,2

Total

Table 5: VRC Ljubljana outcomes in employment

11% of URI students in 2012 in Ljubljana VRC found employment in the ICT sector. All employment placements after VR on national network level – and in VRC Ljubljana resulted from ongoing and continuous cooperation with employers. Activities, mechanisms and strategies are described in chapter 4.

6. Gaps, suggestions for improvements and opportunities In chapter 3 the representatives of crucial stakeholders described in interviews and the focus group what they saw as several barriers to employment of PwD in the ICT sector. Based on their experience and knowledge, they have identified additional gaps: 

VR providers do not systematically address opportunities for employing PwD in the ICT sector.



ICT employers on the other hand are neither well aware enough or informed about the VR mechanisms that would help them identify, explore and achieve these opportunities.

 There is not enough collaboration between employers, employment services, or education - especially VET – in defining employment needs/opportunities so as to design curricula and support employers in recruitment. This includes the vocational rehabilitation measures for PwD.

 There is no formal link between education and employment sectors that would enable transition strategies which would recognise, direct and support candidate PwDs (and other) for employment in the ICT sector.

When reflecting on and discussing the current situation, they have also proposed suggestions for overcoming these barriers, and identified some advantages and opportunities for employment of PwD in the ICT sector that still need to be taken to increase the culture of employment. These cover projects with big ICT companies that have more resources.



Early identification of PwD that have finished education/training in ICT by employment services, referral to VR service providers, active employment policy measures, VET or direct referral to employers.



VR service providers should carry out more promotional or marketing activities with ICT employers.



Based on experience, employers can benefit from the positive influence that employing PwD can have on the work culture in their companies.



Benefiting from the mobility and flexibility of the sector: you can work from anywhere (including country) and anytime; working hours can be adapted, including teleworking from home; physical limitations and barriers can be overcome.



The special knowledge required in ICT leaves the emphasis on expertise. The atmosphere in ICT companies is already appreciative and open to accepting diversity among people. And there are fewer taboos or prejudices towards PwD.



There is a broad range of jobs (as well as more routine) and possibilities for PwD, especially in large telecommunication and production companies. This means that appropriate jobs can be created. For the present and the future, most new employment opportunities are less demanding jobs and are found in call centres.



PwD should be encouraged and enabled to attain specific skills and knowledge – in terms of actual technological competence, not formal education.



Private entrepreneurship is also one way for PwD to work contractually for ICT companies. ICT employers find this way less costly and more flexible.



ICT companies find that collaborating with VR providers through offering on-the-job training to PwD is an opportunity to gain insight into how PwD work. This means they become more aware about disability, work abilities and capabilities, develop work environment tolerance and break stereotypes about the work abilities of PwD.



Young PwD (especially physical) should be encouraged and supported early in their education to choose and train for ICT jobs, where there are few disability–related barriers to employment.



ICT employers should have ownership over employment of PwD, and should perceive it as an issue to resolve and/or an opportunity to seize.



The need to increase cooperation with different stakeholders (especially Employment Service and employers) in the area of national qualifications was also reported in the Evaluation of the System of National Professional Qualifications29.



Employment of PwD is the best way of fulfilling the quota obligation, including the substitute quota, through providing work to enterprises who employ PwD.

http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/Spremljava_eng.pdf



Collaboration between employers, VR service providers, education and PwD could be promoted through projects.



Employers (e.g. T2): personal recommendations for employment of PwD from students orother employees. This ensures entry level competences, especially since sometimes PwD themselves contact them directly.



Employing PwD could be promoted more to employers as part of their social responsibility strategies.

7. Conclusions and lessons learned From the information gathered through literature research, interviews, cases studies and a focus group with stakeholders about VR services, ICT labour market and cooperation mechanisms and strategies in Slovenia, we can draw the following conclusions: 

As a labour market for PwD, the ICT sector in Slovenia is not fully utilised and still offers a lot of potential employment opportunities to PwD.



Only a small proportion of PwD referred to VR service providers (also registered at ESS) have sufficient ICT skills and knowledge to find employment in the ICT sector or in ICT jobs in other sectors.



There are several mainstream cooperation mechanisms to enable job seekers (including PwD) to gain work experience and contacts with employers. However, in the opinion of all stakeholders, these are not sufficiently effective nor coordinated.



Despite the published information about the collaboration of The National Institute for Vocational Education and Training with ESS when developing educational programmes and standards, the employers and service users that participated in the interviews and focus groups described that, except for the faculties for informatics and computer science, curricula do not match ICT employers’ demands well enough.



Specialised cooperation and support mechanisms such as Vocational Rehabilitation offer comprehensive services to PwD and employers, but there is not enough awareness, use or promotion of them among ICT employers.



On-the-job training is the main cooperation mechanism in Slovenia, enabling efficient collaboration between employers, clients and service providers and aimed at different levels of employment or other types of social inclusion of PwD.



VR teams can provide a coordination role to link all stakeholders. This is needed to enable PwD to learn and train in those ICT skills and knowledge that would meet the needs of employers.

II. Selection of good practices One preliminary remark on the case studies: these are only good practice examples. The vocational rehabilitation in Slovenia is highly individualised and flexible; cooperation with employers is aimed at fast employment of the PwD and is not focused on the design of curricula for client groups or the understanding of the needs of the labour market in general. This is the reason why the good practices presented below relate to particular cases of clients. Nevertheless they have an illustrative and good-practice value. The 4 practice cases of successful employments of PwD in ICT companies illustrate how different collaboration mechanisms with employers are applied. 2 are specialised, managed by a VR provider, and 2 are mainstream, initiated or even managed by PwD and employers themselves.

Case Study 1: On-the-job training of 'RJ' in the Prizma D.O.O. Call centre Rationale RJ was referred to the Ljubljana VRC by the rehabilitation counsellor at the Ljubljana ESS. The initial cooperation was set up between the VRC and the employment service.

Objectives 

Applying VR cooperation and support mechanisms with the employer to estimate the level of employability and employment possibilities through VR, including rehabilitative and on-the-job training in a real working environment.



Employment in a suitable workplace.

Actors involved and roles RJ has 3.5 years of working experience as a hair dresser and room maid. When she was first referred to the VRC in 2010 she had been unemployed for one year. Her disability was the result of osteoarthritis and asthma, both of which prevented her from seeking employment in her profession or any other work that would require physical strain, kneeling, squatting, using stairs, or include exposure to substances she was allergic to. In the initial interview and assessment of her employment needs and potential at VRC, she expressed interest in office work, especially using a computer. She attended basic training through ESS, but she needed to further advance her computer skills and knowledge. Employer: PRIZMA IP d.o.o. – Enterprise employing persons with disabilities. Type of work: call centre Number of employees: 5 (3 PwD)

VR provider: The Ljubljana VRC, University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia VR team: social worker (case manager), occupational medicine specialist, occupational therapist, psychologist, rehabilitation technologist Rehabilitation counsellor: ESS, The Ljubljana office

How-to: cooperation mechanism – VR and on-the-job training Based on previous successful collaboration with on-the-job training and employment of another PwD, VRC contacted the employer so as to explore and develop RJ’s work competences, including her use of computers or other ICT. Since the employer was searching for a new employee in the call centre, collaboration was able to start as soon as the workplace analysis confirmed that the work suited her health situation and she could start the on-the-job training. Her tasks included the following:    

Entering data into the computer (70% of time) Looking for information via the internet Printing documents Other office work

The work she did for the employer was time consuming, but simple and, most importantly, needed. It required a certain level of responsibility and accuracy. During the on-the-job training she was supported by the VRC team and by a mentor at the workplace. Through being gradually introduced to the work, and with training in different tasks, mostly including simple ICT skills, RJ reached and maintained a required level of responsibility, accuracy, accountability and sincerity at work. These personal and work skills were crucial for the employers’ decision after 4 months of training to finalise the collaboration, employing her in a sheltered type of contract despite her consistent lower efficiency. She could only reach up to 45% productivity, which the employer could compensate for by applying for the 65% at the Public Guarantee, Maintenance and Disability Fund30. This success was achieved through close collaboration between employer, ESS, Disability fund and VRC who coordinated the whole process in a manner required and regulated by The Act on Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of PwD. Advice from the employer about establishing a similar practice: Open communication with the candidate and VR provider gives the PwD a chance to prove themselves through work, despite their functional limitations. The possibilities and expectations need to be defined in advance. Functional limitations have to be clearly defined and communicated. Evaluation What makes it a best practice? Employer: Achieves employment of PwD. The mentor reports that RJ is well accepted by coworkers as a part of the team.

http://www.jpi-sklad.si/skladi/invalidski-sklad/

Client: the rehabilitation process not only ended in employment, but has also increased RJ’s perception of her quality of life, which was measured with the QOLIS questionnaire. VR provider: to enable the employment outcome, the VRC team successfully coordinated complicated administrative procedures between employer, ESS and Disability fund, as well as the usual VR process.

Contact details Matevž Pintar, PRIZMA IP d.o.o. Kopališka ulica 8A, 4220 Škofja Loka matevz.pintar@kcm.si http://www.bizi.si/PRIZMA-IP-D-O-O/maticno-podjetje/

Case study 2: Onâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;the-job training leading to supported employment on the open labour market: 'AD' in the IT TIM Rationale AD was referred to the Maribor VRC by the rehabilitation counsellor at the Maribor ESS.

Objectives -

Employment in a suitable workplace.

Actors involved and roles AD lives close to Maribor. He is a salesman by occupation. He had tried to complete several schools, but dropped out. He has not yet been employed, although had a few month's work experience during education as a shop assistant in a hardware store. He also did some student work in a computer maintenance company in his home town. That employer offered him employment, but he declined due to the low wage offered. When he was referred to VRC Maribor in 2011, he had been registered at the ESS for two years. His disability was the result of mental health problems, namely a personality disorder. He had problems in managing complex or less structured situations. He did not like monotonous work, and found it difficult to follow rules and acknowledge authority. His motivation for work was very selective, and he somehow saw himself in computer-related work. After the initial assessment, the VRC team concluded that AD could perform less demanding and responsible tasks in a tolerant environment with limited social interactions. Employer: IT TIM d.o.o. Type of work: providing solutions for business process management, ICT infrastructure, IT platform and SW Number of employees: 7 VR provider: The Maribor VRC, University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia VR team: social worker (case manager), occupational medicine specialist, occupational therapist, psychologist, rehabilitation technologist Rehabilitation counsellor: ESS, The Maribor office

How-to: cooperation mechanism â&#x20AC;&#x201C; VR and on-the-job training At the beginning of the VR process, AD explored his career options through individual and group activities conducted by the interdisciplinary team. These included active job seeking, exploring career interests, matching competences with work opportunities and rehabilitative training. AD soon took the initiative for repairing computers on the training site. By doing this very competently, he proved to the team that he could be very successful in this line of work.

He was given further work with computer repair and maintenance during training. AD's case manager contacted IT TIM and presented his competences. They invited AD for an interview. He was very unnerved about this, and so his case manager provided counselling and roleplayed the interview with him to give him more confidence. The interview succeeded and he started the on-the-job training in September 2013. His work tasks mostly comprised the following:  

  

Computer components assembly Computer repairs Software installations, network equipment control and installations Demonstrating to customers how to use computers and other ICT equipment Office and technical tasks

AD worked under the supervision and coaching of a mentor. He started working for 6 hours and was gradually able to achieve full time endurance. There were no fixed norms nor time pressure to his work, and the atmosphere was tolerant and calm. His work expectations included accuracy, accountability, responsibility, quality, some flexibility and good manual dexterity. During training he needed more time to learn new tasks, but in time he succeeded in fulfilling these expectations. He still needs some additional support in new or complex situations, as well as with written communication with customers. AD asks for support and approval from his mentor when he needs, but given enough time, he can find the necessary information and complete his work. The mentor and co-workers are young, open and positively oriented towards solving problems. Throughout the on-the-job training his work pace has been a little slower and his efficiency stabilised at 70%. Despite this the employer decided to employ AD in the form of supported employment and can apply for a 30% minimum age subsidy at the Disability fund. Being a mainstream employer, IT TIM can also receive reimbursement for ongoing support, based on the individual support plan developed by the VRC team.

Advice for establishing a similar practice: VR providers and employers should enable their clients/employees to explore and develop ICT skills during the on-the-job training. Some employers require clients to have a certain level of ICT skills, needed by certain employers, and these can be gained formally or informally. Some basic training should be provided in VRC or elsewhere, because employers do not have time for this. Open communication is needed among all persons involved about all aspects of the on-the-job training. At the beginning, it is crucial to reassure the employer about clients’ issues and the availability of ongoing support from VRC staff. The employer should be encouraged to evaluate clients’ performance using the same criteria as he does with his employees.

Evaluation What makes it a best practice? Employer: employers are mostly satisfied and rewarded with the social engagement. The accompaniment of the employee with disabilities provided by the VR services is generally a good surprise for them, as they are not necessarily aware of the possible existing support.

Client: In weekly follow up meetings with the group and case managers, he actively seeks contact and describes his working with IT TIM as a positive experience. He feels that he belongs there, and is part of the team. VR provider: Enabling AD to be doing what he was really competent in was a significant means to improving his communication and behaviour in interactions with others. Above all, he started to trust that the VRC team would support him to find a job that would match his interests and abilities. From being a passive and somehow reluctant recipient of services, he became an active and interested participant in his VR process. Contact details Barbara RibariÄ?, IT TIM d.o.o., barbara.ribaric@it-tim.si http://it-tim.si/

Ulica heroja Ĺ aranoviÄ?a 37,

2000 Maribor;

Case study 3: Job placement in the open labour market with parallel advice from VRC: employment of 'NN' in T2 D.O.O. Rationale 'NN' was personally recommended for employment by people who were acquainted with him. He and the employer decided to “skip” VR mechanisms, because this would require additional time. However the employer was prepared to pay for some VR services after employment had been confirmed, which would enable him to receive financial incentives for employing a PwD.

Objectives Employment after successful trial period and examination.

Actors involved and roles PwD: NN is a 34 year old man. He has finished high school and is now finalising college level in economy. His disability results from quadriplegia. He uses an electrical wheelchair and also experiences hand function problems. Before employment he was not registered at the ESS and was not referred to vocational rehabilitation. He learned most of his ICT skills and knowledge himself and during subsequent employment, rather than gaining them during formal education. He is newly employed at T2 d.o.o. since April 2014. Employer: T2 d.o.o. Type of work: electronic communications and equipment production, development and marketing Number of employees: 300 VR provider: The Ljubljana VRC, University Rehabilitation Institute, Republic of Slovenia – social worker

How-to: cooperation mechanism – individual initiative, induction training and VR professionals’ counselling The first phase of the process was a theory induction. This lasted a few days and was supported by practical examples. The second step included practical training in the call centre. This took place through computer-sharing with the mentor. At first he learned all about the operation and use of the new programmes, followed by a demonstration while talking to a customer. The role of NN was to listen. After the call, they discussed the details and decisions that took place during the call. After a few days of such learning, NN started talking with clients under the supervision and support of the mentor until he learned all activities and could perform them independently. This training with pairs lasts at least two weeks until the trainee learns all the different strategies and skills needed when working with customers. After the initial training, NN was independent in performing the following call centre agent tasks:

       

Answering calls Helping customers with technical support Troubleshooting of errors reported by written communication Selling by outbound and inbound calls Troubleshooting at level I technical support Learning about new developments Participating in continuous education Additional tasks assigned by the department coordinator

After the successful induction training, NN was offered employment at T2 d.o.o. He took his work very responsibly. Besides his knowledge, he expressed initiative, diligence, eagerness and enjoyment in what he did. There was no need for workplace adjustments related to his disability. The workplace and work itself is accessible for PwD. Because the induction process showed a certain degree of lowered efficiency as a result of his disability, the employer and NN contacted a social worker in URI to get advice about the procedures and requirements in relation to claiming the lowered efficiency subsidy, and other incentives in relation to employing a PwD. They were advised that this would require at least 3 months of on-the-job training inside VR, based on referral from ESS, which would also pay for all procedures. The employer was also informed that if they applied for the subsidy and support and/or workplace adaptation reimbursement after employment, they would have to pay URI or another VR service provider to perform the work performance evaluation. Based on the information received, the employer decided to go directly into employment and pay for the VR services to URI after 3 months.

Advice for establishing a similar practice: Supervising and evaluation of the induction process is very important, mostly in the form of individual interviews every 2-3 days. Follow up is also conducted daily through questionnaires which are filled in by the candidate and mentor. The questions are related to knowledge and communication skills. Knowledge is also tested objectively by written exams. Despite the well-established cooperation mechanisms with VR financed by the ESS, employers and clients should be given space for more direct cooperation. However advice and support should remain available in relation to employment of PwD, regardless of whether the employee was referred to VR or not.

Evaluation What makes it a best practice? Employer: Their practice of recruiting new employees based on personal recommendation and induction process has proven to be successful. Disability is not considered a barrier as soon as there is knowledge and skill. Other employees find working with PwD encouraging and positive. Employee: NN feels encouraged and appreciated. VR provider: The employer recognised the competences and skills of NN even without an intervention from VR services upfront. Incentives and subsidies were not decisive in the first

phase; the employer is prepared to pay for those VR services that can improve the efficiency and well-being of the employee and ease his cooperation with the employer.

Contact details Jan Kocjančič, T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana jan.kocjancic@t-2.com http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

Case study 4: Successful mainstream employment of 'MM' in T2 D.O.O. without VET/VR intervention Rationale 'MM' was employed after having worked for T2 d.o.o. through student work.

Objectives Employment after successful trial period and examination.

Actors involved and roles PwD: MM is a 28 year old man who has finished high school. His disability results from muscular dystrophy. He uses an electrical wheelchair for movement and also experiences hand function problems. Before employment he was not registered at the ESS and was not referred to vocational rehabilitation. He has been employed with T2 d.o.o for three years. Currently, most of the work he performs is done from home. Employer: T2 d.o.o. Type of work: electronic communications and equipment production, development and marketing Number of employees: 300 VR provider: none. Âľ This good practice has been voluntarily integrated in this report to highlight the limits of the vocational training: sometimes it can work well without any intervention from a VR/VET provider. Local, regional, national authorities: Student work service

How-to: cooperation mechanism â&#x20AC;&#x201C; individual initiative, induction training and student work MM was personally recommended for work in T2 d.o.o. and initiated the contact himself. Prior to starting working MM needed to organise his daily transportation to work by adapting his car. After a while he moved closer to Ljubljana. Although currently he can do most of his work from home, he needed to be able to work at the company's location, especially in the beginning. T2 d.o.o. applies a very similar and standardised induction procedure that is described above for all new employees - they all start in the call centre, experience which is crucial for making decisions about employment. After successful induction and initial work in the call centre, MM advanced to a more responsible and organisational type of work as a technical assistant and statistician, including the following tasks:

       

Preparation of daily and weekly analyses (call actions) of the call centre Follow up of individual call actions Database management and call actions preparation Document preparation for the department Preparation of department’s daily, weekly and monthly reports Survey development and analysis Assuring adequacy of analyses and improving when necessary Additional tasks assigned by the department coordinator

There was no need for workplace adjustments related to his disability. The workplace and work itself is accessible for PwD.

Advice for establishing a similar practice:  

Student work can be a good basis for employment. Good structure and strict implementation and supervision over the induction process are crucial.

Evaluation What makes it a best practice? Employer: Their practice of recruiting new employees based on personal recommendation, induction process and student work has proven successful. Employee: MM feels encouraged and appreciated. VR provider: MM and the employer decided not to go through those usual procedures of VR which are normally implemented for employment of PwD. Following these procedures would take at least 3 months, but on the other hand would enable the employer to claim financial incentives for employing PwD, such as wage subsidy, reimbursement of support and workplace adaptation costs. Considering that the adaptation of the workplace is not required, and that the need for support is minimal, the employer decided not to apply for subsidy.

Contact details Jan Kocjančič, T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana jan.kocjancic@t-2.com http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

List of interviewees

Participants in the country mapping Name

Role/ education

Organisation

Type of organisation

Interviews Simona Korez

Vocational trainer, case manager, ICT expert

Ana Korat

Case manager, occupational therapist

Predrag Pavlović

Case manager, vocational trainer

Mateja Sok

Case manager, occupational therapist

Brigita Anzeljc

Head of the Labour Office Ljubljana

Sandi Meke

Coordinator of cooperation with employers,

Bojana Korošec

HR manager

Jan Kocjančič

Call centre

Matevž Pintar

Manager, mentor

Stanko Šalamon

Executive manager

Racio, družba za razvoj človeškega kapitala,d.o.o. Kersnikova ulica 19, 3000 Celje http://www.racio.si/ Centerkontura d.o.o., Linhartova 51, 1000 Ljubljana http://www.centerkontura.si/ URI Maribor Čufarjeva c. 5 2000 Maribor http://www.uri-soca.si/en/ URI Maribor Čufarjeva c. 5 2000 Maribor http://www.uri-soca.si/en/ Employment service of Slovenia http://english.ess.gov.si/ Employment service of Slovenia The ESS Regional office in Ljubljana Parmova 32, 1000 Ljubljana http://english.ess.gov.si/ Špica International d.o.o.Pot k sejmišču 33 1231 Ljubljana http://www.spica.si/ T 2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana http://www.t-2.com/poslovni/opodjetju Prizma IP d.o.o. Kopališka 8A, Škofja Loka www.kcm.si ICT Technology Network Institute Dunajska cesta 159 SI-1000 Ljubljana Slovenia http://www.ictslovenia.net/eng/about-technologynetwork

Vocational rehabilitation service provider Vocational rehabilitation service provider Vocational rehabilitation service provider Vocational rehabilitation service provider Employment service Employment service

ICT employer

Representative organisation of ICT employers

Ksenija Rozman

Work experience coordinator

University of Ljubljana Faculty of Computer and Information Science Representative of Tržaška cesta 25 the higher SI-1001 Ljubljana education Slovenia http://www.fri.uni-lj.si/en/about/

Best practices

Barbara Ribarič

Head of finances

Matevž Pintar

Manager, mentor

Jan Kocjančič

Head of customer support and teleshopping

IT TIM d.o.o. Ulica heroja Šaranoviča 37 2000 Maribor http://it-tim.si/ Prizma IP d.o.o. Kopališka 8A, Škofja Loka www.kcm.si T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000, Ljubljana http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

ICT employer

Focus group participants Telekom Slovenije, d.d. Cigaletova 15 1000 Ljubljana http://www.telekom.si/en Iskratel, d.o.o. Ljubljanska cesta 24a 4000 Kranj http://www.iskratel.com/en/aboutus/about-company

Mateja Golob Matzele

Ivan BABIČ

Head of HR

Mirza Kovačević

Auto mechanic, has self-learned computer skills

Unemployed

PwD – in the VRC waiting list

Anja Tratnik

ICT engineer

Employed outside ICT

Former VRC client

Bor Melanšek

Call centre agent

Marko Kušar

Call centre technical assistant

T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju T-2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju

ICT employer

PwD - employee

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This project is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007-2013). This programme is implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields. The seven-year Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across the EU-27, EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries. For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/progress The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.