The Netherlands - Learnabil-IT country mapping

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

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

Ron Reeuwijk

Nijmegen, The Netherlands 2014

This publication is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and 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 cooperation practices in the Netherlands ............................................ 3 1. Contextual information...................................................................................... 3 2. VET services provided by Pluryn REA College................................................. 7 3. The ICT labour market ..................................................................................... 11 4. Description of existing cooperation and results ........................................... 13 5. Gaps, barriers and suggestions for improvements ......................................... 19 6. Conclusions and lessons learned ................................................................... 20

II. Case studies: selection of good practices in the Netherlands ....................... 22 1. Case study 1: IT-Students with autism in VET – The Structured classroom ... 22 2. Case study 2: The new REA-College VET course Application developer..…………………………………………………………………………….. 25 3. Case study 3: Keeping the job ........................................................................ 28 4. Case study 4: Success stories from students at Pluryn REA College according to their employers .............................................................................. 31

Appendix ................................................................................................................... 34

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I. Mapping cooperation practices in the Netherlands In this country mapping, a brief picture will be given on National policies and legislation on employment, education and training of people with disabilities. There will be a description of the ICT labour market in the Netherlands and attention given to employment rates and evolution aspects in the sector.

1. Contextual information The Dutch Education System1 Most children in the Netherlands attend a school funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. Schools in this sector can be publicly or privately run. The non-government funded sector includes a small number of primary and secondary schools and a larger number of institutions for vocational education and adult learning.

Public and Private Schools Freedom of education is a key feature of the Dutch education system. Guaranteed under article 23 of the constitution it gives freedom to:  found schools (freedom of establishment)  organise the teaching in schools (freedom of organisation of teaching)  determine the principles on which schools are based (freedom of conviction) Public Schools Public schools are open to all children regardless of religion or world view and are generally subject to public law. They provide education on behalf of the state and are governed by the municipal council (or a governing committee), a public legal entity or a foundation set up by the council.

Private Schools Privately run schools can refuse admittance to pupils whose parents do not subscribe to the belief or ideology of the school. They are subject to private law and can be government funded, even though they have not been founded by the state. Private schools are governed by the board of the founding association. Teaching is based on religious or ideological beliefs.

Freedom to organise teaching means that private schools can decide what they teach and how.

The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science sets quality standards that apply to both public and private education prescribing:  subjects to be studied  attainment targets or examination requirements  content of national examinations  number of teaching periods per year  required teaching qualifications

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Source: The Dutch Inspectorate of Education: www.onderwijsinspectie.nl/english.

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The vocational and adult education sector comprises many non-government funded schools, most providing work-related courses. The Inspectorate evaluates the quality of these schools, and inspectoral arrangements are the same as for the government funded sector. There are some nongovernment funded higher education schools. The Inspectorate has few responsibilities in this sector.

More information:  Overview of the Netherlands Education System in Eurypedia  Key figures 2007 – 2011 OCW (Key figures of the Netherlands’ Education System from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) (PDF, 10MB)  Dutch national qualifications framework (NQF) higher education – 2010 (PDF, 311kB) Autonomy of Dutch Schools Schools in the Netherlands govern with a high level of autonomy, working within the framework set by central government (attainment targets, examination requirements). Schools are fully responsible for the organisation of teaching and learning, personnel and materials. The annual budget is received as block grant funding. Schools are free to decide how the budget is spent and are responsible for the quality of education provided. The Inspectorate monitors a school’s capacity to assure and improve quality. If the school proves capable of monitoring and improving its own quality, the Inspectorate keeps its distance.

Young people aged between 5 and 18 are obliged to participate in education until they have a basic qualification. For pupils from 5 to 16 years this is known as ‘compulsory education’, and for young people between 16 and 18 years ‘qualification requirement duty’. Senior secondary vocational education and training (VET) plays an important role in preparing Dutch young people between the ages of 16 to 20 for the labour market. This educational sector absorbs about 65 % of all youngsters taking secondary education, and offers them a wide range of programmes in various levels, ranging from assistant level to middle management level. A VET programme can be taken at four levels and range from six months to four years. The four levels correspond directly with the levels 1–4 of the European Qualifications framework. Work placement is a compulsory part of all VET programmes; on average 50% of the practical training is carried out within the company. Depending on the proportion of practical learning there are two parts in every VET programme:  School-based path (BOL): students generally have one or more short periods of work placement during the course  Practice training path (BBL): students usually train four days a week in a work placement and follow one day theoretical education.

As all VET programmes are assessed by learning outcomes, graduates receive the same diploma no matter which path has been followed.

Graduating fourth level students can progress to Higher Professional education.

As work placement is a compulsory part of all vocational education and training, regulations for VET in the Netherlands stipulate that only placements undertaken at ‘accredited practical training companies’ are eligible for government funding. The Netherland’s educational legislation stipulates that Centres of Expertise assess, accredit and monitor work placements at training companies.

This means that these companies offer a good and safe working and learning environment, and correct supervision for VET students.

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The qualification structure consists of a number of sector-specific qualification profiles that describe what may be expected of the newly qualified practitioner.

Qualification structure IT and Media in the Netherlands:     

ICT Assistant (EQF level 2) ICT Management Assistant (EQF level 3) ICT Manager (EQF level 4) Application Software Developer (EQF level 4) Network Manager (EQF level 4)

The Dutch context In April 2013 the Dutch government and the Social Partners (employers' representatives and trade unions) cooperating in the ’Stichting van de Arbeid’ concluded an agreement to give perspective to good labour market qualification and work for young people with disabilities. In this agreement, employers act as guarantor for an extra 100.000 jobs (increasing until 2026) for people with labour disabilities who are unable to earn the statutory minimum wages, and for people with labour disabilities who can earn the statutory minimum wages by using a provision for personal support on the work place.

If employers do not offer enough jobs, a legal quota system will be introduced in the Netherlands.

The quota system will be contained in a law on 1-1-2015. The first assessment will be in 2016.

Situation of young people with disabilities in the Netherlands Between 2012 and 2014:  Number of young people with disabilities increased to 240.000  Costs of the young people disability pension increased to €2,8 billion From 2015:  Local government is responsible for young people with disabilities that can (partly) work  Re-assessment of all current young people with disabilities  Young person’s disability pension for those who can work reduced from 75 to 70 % of minimum wages  More money to put young people with disabilities into work (until 2018: € 330 million more) Growth of young people with a disability caused by:    

Better diagnostics (for instance autistic spectre disturbance better recognized) Young people with labour disabilities registered as unemployed Work becomes more demanding (teamwork; flexibility) Few people in the lowest pay scales employed to do simple work (is done by better educated staff)

In 2013 a social agreement between trade unions, employer organisations and government:  100.000 jobs extra for people with labour disabilities (who are unable to earn the statutory minimum wages, or who can earn the statutory minimum wages by using a provision for personal support on the work place).

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 This is partly because of appointments in collective labour agreements about filling up the lowest pay scales.

Is this going to work?  At this moment +/- 5% of the employers employ youngsters with labour disabilities  It will take much effort to convince companies that it can be profitable and efficient to employ youngsters with disabilitiesThose with disabilities have to assert themselves. This will be a problem especially for youngsters with cognitive limitations and/or behavioural problems.  If this social agreement doesn’t work, the national government will install a quota system

The IT-labour market in the Netherlands The Dutch IT-labour market is still in a dip since the start of the economic crisis in 2008.

Unemployment among IT-professionals increases almost every month and the number of vacancies in the IT-sector remains low. Nevertheless the demand for certain IT -specialists like .Net-developers, SAP-consultants, Cloud-specialists and safety-experts is still high, partly caused by a small supply. The expectation of an increasing shortage of IT- professional in the coming years remains, partially caused by an aging population, a low supply from colleges and the prospect of an improving market. The number of IT-ers in our country without a job exceeded 15.000 for the first time in September 20132.

Particular groups suffering from this low number of vacancies are starters, employees at large service providers waiting for a new job, independent entrepreneurs and elderly IT-professionals.

The average growth of wages in the IT-sector in last year was 2.7%. With an inflation of 2.3% this means that most IT-ers are not yet at the point of losing spending power. But this is not the case for all IT-functions; this difficult situation does not apply for all IT-professions. Software developers and architects are among the most wanted IT-professionals. Systems administrators, helpdesk staff and network administrators have more trouble finding a job, while the demand for project leaders is small. Mid-term expectations are for an increasing labour market and that the shortage, partly caused by aging, will increase in the years to come. Depending on the economic developments, the worst case scenario would be 40.000 IT-vacancies in 2015. The main cause for this is a much too small number of IT-students.

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http://www.automatiseringsgids.nl/it-arbeidsmarkt 09-01-2014

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2. VET services provided by Pluryn REA College Pluryn REA College Nederland is an association of VET organisations. It offers young people with a disabilitywho cannot have a mainstream vocational education the possibility to have an education or adapted training course. The training courses are executed and commissioned by ‘UWV-werkbedrijf’. Students with a wide range of disabilities can have a vocational training, including with chronic conditions, severe movement limitations, energy restrictions, audial or visual limitations, psychic disabilities or neurologic conditions. Pluryn REA College also offers several educational programmes for young people with (labour) disabilities. The participants can have a vocational education that is adapted to their capacities.

There are five locations of Pluryn REA College in the Netherlands, including Nijmegen, Groningen and Heerlen.

ICT training courses ICT vocational training at Pluryn REA College ICT is still the ultimate sector where developments occur rapidly. In the ICT training course at Pluryn REA College, we offer the knowledge that ICT companies are looking for. Thanks to this, our students get the certificates that are relevant and necessary in work.

Work first It is important that the right knowledge is transferred well in practice. The systems administration of Pluryn REA College is therefore mainly managed by students of our ICT-vocational training. At the same time, our own staff can depend on our students for ICT-support. And naturally we offer apprenticeships that prepare students for the real work in ICT-companies.

ICT Assistant level 2 Possible professions  Workplace administrator  PC-repair  Assistant technical services Capacities  Solve small malfunctions, configuring, maintenance of PCs, hardware repair, installation software Certificates  Comptia A+ technician (220-701 and 220-702)  ECDL3 4 of 7 (minimum) ICT Management Assistant level 3 Possible professions  Helpdesk professional 3

ECDL is the European Computer Driving License with the Office modules: Access, PowerPoint, Word and Excel

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 Test professional  Repair technician  Field service engineer Capacities  Solve first line failures, configuration, workplace administration, communications with systems administration, malfunctions login and documentation.

Certificates  ECDL 7 out of 7  Comptia A+ technician (220-701 and 220-702)  Comptia Network+ (N10-004)  Itil foundation (optional)  Windows 7 (70-680 MCTS optional 70-685)  Windows 2008 (70-640 MCITP) ICT Manager level 4 Possible professions  Network administrator  System administrator nd rd  Helpdesk professional (2 and 3 line) Capacities  Solve network failures, analyse and locate, network design, produce authority on files, users and printers.

Certificates  ECDL 7 out of 7  Comptia A+ technician (220-701 and 220-702)  Comptia Network+ (N10-004)  Itil Foundation (optional)  Windows 7 (70-680 MCTS)  Windows 2008 (70-640, 70-642, 70-646 or 643 MCITP) MTA-Certificates If during an educational training course it becomes clear that MCITP is not possible, there is the possibility to gain one or more MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) certificates. Although these certificates are of a lower level, they offer the bearer sufficient labour market perspective in a Microsoft server environment.

Programming HBO Possible professions  Programmer

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Capacities  Programming using .NET, C#, SQL and/or several other optional modules (dependant on student’s needs). Light development work, application testing, and application administration are possibilities.

Certificates  ECDL 7 out of 7  Comptia A+ technician (220-701/702)  Application Development Foundation (70-536)  ASP.NET Application Development (70-562)  Optional: the above-mentioned modules4 Pluryn REA College: VET course Media design: DTP and Web design The training course Media design: DTP and Web design is the creative training course offered by Pluryn REA College. In the dynamic world of media and communication we are in continuous contact with the work field. This means that the vocational training connects well with the work field. Industry recognized certificates are in line with this work field contact.

Work first Student of the Media design training course are regularly working on assignments from third parties. In this way they learn from the beginning what expectations a client has. Meanwhile they learn professional and employee abilities. Internships are also part of the vocational training.

Finding a job is here the priority!

Desktop Publisher DTP (level 3) Possible professions  Executive DTP professional  All-round DTP professional  DTP professional / designer Capacities  As an all-round DTP professional the student produces several media outlets. Ideas from a designer are executed; photos and text files are edited. Programmes including InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver are used. The work consists of designing logos, ads, leaflets, flyers, newsletters, websites, etc. When the media has been produced, the student learns how the design is printed or the website can be put online.

Certificates  Desktop Publishing CS Web design (level 4) Possible professions  Junior web designer  Web designer 4

Several other optional modules such as: Security+, Linux+ and Certified Security Professional Certification Suite. But also for instance SQL server

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 Webmaster  Content manager  Front-end developer

Capacities  After finishing the DTP programme the student can go on to web design. As a web designer the student learns to maintain and to design static and dynamic websites. The adding of functionalities such as contact forms and navigation structures also are part of the work. The student develops an insight into User-Experience and can give advice on Search Engine Optimisation. Programmes used are: HTML, CSS, Joomla! and WordPress. Finally attention is also paid to the several possibilities of Social Media.

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 Web design and development.

The Pluryn REA College student6 At Pluryn REA College students with a wide range of disabilities can have a vocational training: chronic conditions, severe movement limitations, energetic restrictions, audial or visual limitations, psychic disabilities or neurologic conditions.

Educational results: 89% of the students of Pluryn REA College get a diploma or a partial certificate. A good 25% get a diploma: 13% an official diploma recognized by the ministry of education and 14% an industry recognized (Microsoft; Cisco, etc.) 60% gain a partial certificate.

Job placement results: an average 55% of the students of Pluryn REA College find a job immediately after the vocational training. Fewer than 5% are placed in sheltered employment.

Type of work: in 75% of the cases the job is a temporary one. In 10% of the cases the job is found by an employment agency. Many students from Pluryn REA College work for several employers in the first 2 or 3 years after their vocational education. 25% of the participants have a fulltime job and 25% a job for less than 20 hours a week.

In recent years, most of the ICT students went into systems- and network-administration. This was equally the case in small or medium sized companies as in large companies. For example: at the moment we have almost 30 students in Groningen who still need to pursue this path. However some of them will have to find a job as helpdesk worker due to their lower level of education.

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The industry acknowledged certificates are obtained in collaboration with the GOC (Graphic vocational training institute) Source: ‘Signalen voor passend beroepsonderwijs’ (2012 Kenniscentrum Beroepsonderwijs Arbeidsmarkt, Nijmegen)

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3. The ICT labour market What ICT skills are necessary in the next 5 years?7 Knowledge centre ‘ECABO’ recently published the booklet ‘perspective on working and learning in ICT and Media’. This document contains the labour market perspectives for the different types of ICT vocational education. The results match our own experiences in outplacement support.

The chart below shows the ‘ECABO’ survey of the labour market perspective for the period 20132017. One can see that the perspective of the level 2 and 3 ICT training courses is not very good, is for the (new) training course ‘private digital researcher’. Looking at this labour market perspective for the near future one can conclude that real labour market perspective starts with and vocational education at EQF level 4 and is more promising for application development than for systems administrating / engineering.

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http://www.ecabo.nl/sites/default/files/bladerbare-pdfs/perspectief-arbeidsmarkt-2012/ict-en-media-2012-2016

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What personal skills do employers expect in the next 5 years?

‘Interpersonal skills for ICT professionals’ Interpersonal skills for ICT professionals covers the basic skills that every ICT student needs for a successful career, such as report writing, teamwork and presentations. It is also about communication processes in implementation new ICT systems, IT-audits and project management.

Such interpersonal skills are increasingly important thanks to the situation of a broadening ICT domain.

The barriers to employment of PwD8 The ‘knowledge centre vocational education and labour market’ conducts independent policyoriented research commissioned by third parties in the field of the connection between education and labour. The emphasis is on the connection between developments in labour and labour market and the organisation, design and content of vocational education.

Students with disabilities in vocational education and training: study results and labour market position 1. Differentiated group The group of students with disabilities within vocational education is diverse. There is no good reason to see them as one target group for policy or approach when considering disability type, problem type, and study and work results.

2. Impact of disability For a large part of the students with disabilities their study career is not successful. They tend to achieve a starting qualification less often. And yet the disability on its own is not decisive. What is more important is the degree in which they experience all kind of (other) problems: in their home situation, health problems, learning and in dealing with other people. Many students with disabilities can be seen as ‘overloaded’ - youngsters with multiple complex problems.

3. Breakpoint in vocational education With little exception students with disabilities have problems in vocational education and in the transition to paid work. For different kinds of disabilities the ‘breakpoint’ (where things go wrong) happens at different times: sometimes early in the training course; sometimes during their internship and sometimes in their transition to the labour market.

4. Better support in vocational training Schools spend much time on giving young people with disabilities the opportunity to have a vocational education. Certain training courses have many students with disabilities and have developed an expertise in supporting these students. Nevertheless it is clear that the support during the vocational education can improve.

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‘Aan het werk met Passend Beroepsonderwijs’ 2013: Kenniscentrum Beroepsonderwijs Arbeidsmarkt Nijmegen.

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5. Better support in the transition to work As well as support at school, the transition from education to work can also be improved. Although students with a diploma have better chances in finding work, they also experience that getting a paid job is hard. Many students with disabilities end their vocational training unable to find work.

6. Low income Many young people with disabilities have to live on a low income. One third of this group has an income under (the Dutch) support level and more than half of this group has an income of the minimum wages for 19 years old. The question is what impact this has on their living (and housing) conditions. More research is required in how far these youngsters get into (financial) problems and what the effect is of a very low income on the social participation of this group of people.

7. Perspective in Vocational Education and Training?

It is clear that a some of the young people with disabilities have unfavourable perspectives in mainstream VET. Many of them drop out and have little chance in finding work, even with a diploma. This leads to the more fundamental question of what mainstream VET can and should offer these young people. For young people with severe behavioural problems and/or psychiatric problems, a mainstream VET - even with additional support - incurs a big risk of dropping out. For such persons, a different arrangement would be more appropriate. Other students with disabilities start their education but encounter problems finishing it successfully or finish but find it difficult to become employed. Again, one could argue that there are better alternatives.

4. Description of existing cooperation and results IT Platform “Cooperation North” 9 This is a cooperation of employers of (semi) public organisations in ICT in North Netherlands. This partnership started in 2010 and aims to generate collaboration in the IT-area and the sharing of ITresources (especially high-level IT-staff).

Participating employers: 1.

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Dienst ICT Uitvoering Waterschap Noorderzijlvest UMCG Stenden Hogeschool Rijksuniversiteit Groningen RDW Provincie Groningen Provincie Fryslân Provincie Drenthe Noorderpoort College Ministerie van Economische Zaken Martini Ziekenhuis

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Dagblad van het Noorden d.d. 1 maart 2014 pag. 31. “Slag om Noordelijke IT’er”) http://www.samenwerkingnoord.nl/

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Lefier Hanzehogeschool Gemeente Leeuwarden Gemeente Groningen Gemeente Assen Gasunie GasTerra DUO CJIB Alfa College

Quote from the website: Twenty two (semi)public organisations have started working together to face threatening shortages on the labour market for IT-staff.

Motivation There is an expectation that companies have to deal with a growing shortage on the labour market in the ICT-area. This is partly caused by the aging of staff combined with too few numbers of persons entering into ICT education, as well as too few newcomers on the labour market. But quantity is not the only problem. The levels of knowledge and skills require will have their impact due to ICT developments. This causes qualitative shortage on one side in combination with surpluses of IT staff with outdated knowledge. It is a challenge for the public employers to tackle these problems at an early stage through structured cooperation.

Aim of the collaboration Collaboration will mean a better position on the labour market for ICT staff because (future) participants will be offered a continually challenging work package with ongoing chances for continuing knowledge and career development. The connection between ICT education and labour will be improved. The participating organisations can in this way develop a better market profile.

And the labour market for ICT- staff will be strengthened by this common approach.

Result of collaboration This will lead to a concrete proposal for the filling in of the (structured) collaboration, and prevent future staffing bottlenecks. This is the work of the collaboration between the connected partners, in which different levels can be distinguished such as observing on another’s ways of working, exchanging / transferring staff, subcontracting for each other (using one another’s expertise).

Exchange of outstanding work/projects will be done by a seminar to transfer and share knowledge.

This activity will be extended.

Labour pool, impact on the supply of jobs These organisations employ 2 400 - 3 000 IT-staff. The collaboration partly started as a result of the building of the ‘Rijks Datacenter Westpoort’ in Groningen. It has become a kind of pool of professionals in which an IT-expert no longer works just for one company.

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Project “IT Academy North Netherlands”10 Another (specific northern) IT development is the establishment of the IBM Regional Delivery Center in Groningen. Attached to this is the project ‘IT Academy North Netherlands’. A subsidy for this project (worth € 2.325.000,) has recently been approved by the government of the province of Groningen.

Quote from this application: “In June 2013 a memorandum of understanding was signed by the local government of Groningen city, the province of Groningen, the ‘Hanzehogeschool Groningen, the Groningen University, the University Medical Centre Groningen and IBM Business Service Center Benelux BV, with the intention to optimise the synergy between government, knowledge centers and business in the area of information technology.

The direct cause for this was the establishment of the IBM Regional Delivery Center in Groningen.

The scope of this new location is not limited to IBM, but will have an impact on the total recent and future Northern IT-sector. Most important aim of the memorandum of understanding is priority to the attracting of staff from Northern Netherlands and to tie your staff to the region. The project “IT Academy North Netherland” fulfils this purpose.”

This project specifically focuses on IT-staff with higher vocational training and university studies.

‘Hanzehogeschool Groningen’ as partner in both above mentioned ICT-projects has a comprehensive support for students with physical or mental disabilities11.

Description of existing cooperation between the ICT vocational training centre of Pluryn REA College Nijmegen and ICT employers The relations which the ICT vocational training centre of Pluryn REA College wants to establish aim at building long-term relationships. An employer should feel the social responsibility of having what we call a “social diverse company”. This means the employees in a company should be an average reflection of society.

Over recent years, due to economic circumstances, it has been hard to find internships, or to be able to provide the possibility to learn in practice. The core element in our contacts with ICT employers lies in providing internships that suit both the student and the employer. Of course we keep track of at what point the student is in his learning curve. For an employer one of the important things to experience is “employee skills”. This is one of the key points of our ICT training course. Based on our experience, we have a good idea which student suits which job. This match is a key element in the search for internships.

Having an internship often leads to talks about the possibility of the client moving on to a regular job. This is a promising development because both the future employee and employer want it to be successful, once a good working relation has been established.

We maintain regular contact with the ICT employers and, based on the existing personal contacts, we try to build new network contacts.

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http://www.provinciegroningen.nl/fileadmin/user_upload/Documenten/PS_Voordracht/2014-10.pdf See: http://www.hanze.nl/home/Studiekiezen/Alles+rondom+de+studie/Ondersteuning+bij

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The ultimate situation one tries to establish is to have a contact in which, based on positive experiences with one another, the employer wants to cooperate in the task of looking for a new employee. If in this task he has a requirement for specific training, we could provide such a training for one of our students. This starts with talks with the employer and a short internship, after which the first studies are made. Then after a view months (depending on the course length and requirements) we provide a longer internship. If this still fits, a longer specific training at REA College could be required, leading to an actual job with this employer.

Based on the above we provide school-based courses/training programmes which are not regular trainings, but are based on the market needs of (a number of) companies.

Results We have filled several jobs in the past couple of years. A majority has been in helpdesk jobs and workspace management jobs. he recycling of electronic parts is another sector where some have found jobs. Over the last years, there has been an increasing trend for programmer jobs (PHP, ASP .NET), and we also placed one student as a repair specialist.

Types of jobs found are:  repair/eco technicians, 5 %  Programmer 5% but expanding to 20/25%  Recycling specialist 10 to 15 %  Others: majority currently in the helpdesk\workplace management 40% Tools/methodologies used are primarily within the networking contact; during internships we provide regular visits. And when a client is employed we keep track of how they are doing.

Improvements for the ICT vocational training centre at Pluryn REA College The ICT training centre has developed an external use for a PHP, and ASP .Net training course with appropriate practical elements. We also developed a training to teach clients to able to replace electronic components on electronic modules.

Besides this we are constantly using practice exercises in order to give more experience to our clients.

A risk in the development of these curricula is that it can be difficult to find the available time they require. In the same way, the time required to fulfil the need for internships/jobs is sometimes problematic.

To be successful in this area a continuous contact with the nearby market is required, as well as a gut feeling to be able to explore unidentified areas in order to train the clients. A helping hand of a future employer could be necessary.

In general the employee market is constantly shifting. The current movement is one towards a requirement for higher educated people (especially programming skills). This means a smaller market for the lower skilled people. We are trying to accommodate this by getting in contact with ‘back end companies’. These provide services for other companies: for example installation,

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repair, or recycling services. In general these are harder to find. An example is the cooperation with Inexeon: see ‘Pilot Inexion’.

Another example is the internships provided by the Radboud Hospital in Nijmegen. Currently we have almost constantly had an internship for a number of months (3 or 4) to maintain the computer workplace management. The main activity in these internships is to replace defective computer equipment such as printers, cables or monitors at a regular workplace throughout the hospital.

The internships usually start with some time spend working at the department itself doing simple packing and unpacking of computer equipment. At a later stage, a mentor guides the student around the building and shows him how the service requests are handled. At a later stage, depending on developments, the intern will independently solve the service requests.

Depending on the client’s limitations we assemble an assignment during the internship. In most cases this results in getting (positive) work experience. In this way the intern has an idea of what is expected from him.

This collaboration with the Radboud hospital has now been going on for about 3 years. They have found our clients very knowledgeable and motivated. At this moment they are reorganizing their internal service desk structure, and we have already agreed that if possibilities occur, they will provide a job for one of our clients.

Pilot Inexeon Introduction Inexeon is an electronics repair company which employs approximately 30 people. The company has been employing people with disabilities for many years, and with success.

Just like for every company (product) quality, is a key success factor for Inexeon;. quality in two perspectives: the quality of staff at the one end and the quality of supplied products; ‘ the repair’, at the other. To assure and increase quality, Inexeon wants to cooperate with Pluryn REA College for both training courses and the proper support of the employees. Pluryn REA College has a lot of experience in supporting people with disabilities, and this is what the pilot is looking for: a win/win situation for both.

Our training at that time didn’t include any repair technology, and the company provided us with the required equipment in order to train our clients. Based on our earlier experience we developed a training course in which de-soldering techniques are taught, with additional targets like ESD protection, safety and some component knowledge. Inexeon provided us with the necessary equipment (tools and soldering and de-soldering stations). The key to this training is to learn how to correctly remove electronic components from printed circuit boards. We provided our student the required training with an emphasis on soldering techniques and additional knowledge about electronic components. After a couple of months we were able to provide an internship at Inexeon and as a result he is currently working for this company as a regular employee. This former student has NAH (a brain injury) and has to limit the amount of his work so he can continue to work at a regular pace. During the internship we guided the employer on how to work with this client.

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After the excellent result with this client, we received a request from Inexeon to provide them with a soldering training in order to enhance the capabilities of their regular employees. We agreed to put this together and train two of their staff, who also have disabilities.

The training we supplied has been rated very successful. And the internal average quality of their work process has improved a lot.

In this shared experience with each other, we have essentially agreed to train a new hire for the coming September, provided that one of our students is interested in the work provided by Inexeon.

Components of the training (Global) component knowledge and recognition, ESD, module quality, ‘Through holes’ components, studying ECO procedures, the (de-) soldering iron, maintenance and mentality, tools, MultiMate, wiring (ECO) and etch repair.

Preparations Cost calculation, bringing everything together, preparing a 40 hour training course. Performance: support training (25 hours).

Benefit for Pluryn REA College Being able to use a training course for students who want to work in the electronic repair sector (new course materials). Collaboration with Inexeon with the possibility of finding work in time for several students.

Benefit for Inexeon To offer an refresher training course on an external location for their staff. Flexible training hours.

Appointments: Pluryn REA College provides a one week soldering/de-soldering training course: 5 days where 2 staff members are simultaneously trained. During one of the days an expert from Inexeon will be present to provide any additional explanations. Pluryn REA College will produce a training course certificate. Tools and devices are loaned to us by Inexeon so that our students also benefit from this.

There has been a previous knowledge exchange at Inexeon; much knowledge and experience is already available in this company.

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5. Gaps, barriers and suggestions for improvements12 Transition to work The analysis in this study concludes that there is a group of mainstream VET participants with a structural labour disability and therefore a developed dependency on labour support and often also wages support.

Their drop out from vocational education means no diploma (the starting-qualification for a profession) and as a result entrance to the labour market is considerably more difficult. Drop-outs from mainstream VET not only missed their diploma; they also missed an important part of their vocational education and professional preparation. For young people with a labour disability this drop out of vocational education implies a structural arrears. They are less successful in overcoming their backlog with workplace learning. Here one sees a broken development, that can lead to a structural restriction in finding and keeping a job.

Professional education (or the acquisition of a good work attitude and the development of selfconfidence) is strongly tied to professional practice. In real labour situations, in internships or in a job, professional behaviour is developed and becomes visible.

For these young people with disabilities who drop out of mainstream VET, organisations like Pluryn REA College can make a difference.

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‘Aan het werk met Passend Beroepsonderwijs’ (2013: Kenniscentrum Beroepsonderwijs Arbeidsmarkt Nijmegen

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6. Conclusions and lessons learned Learning in and from the professional practice The educational periods for young people with disabilities are not without problems. They all are at risk of either being absent for longer periods and/or dropping out. When we overview the experiences in apprenticeships and in transition to work for ICT students with disabilities, we can come to this possible improvements:  Not all internships are suitable: by investing time in the match between student and ICTcompany the success rate will improve considerably.  A student's realistic understanding of himself is a critical factor for a successful internship.  In work support, a thorough knowledge of the capacities and disabilities of the student is important.

There is still a lot to gain from better preparations, better support and a better performance in internships for young people with disabilities. The knowledge and experiences from internships could also be better used in the transition from education to profession.

For young people with disabilities a mainstream vocational education is sometimes a dangerous road. In mainstream VET the support and care for students is different and sometimes less well organised than in special education. When ICT students with disabilities go into apprenticeship and work without the necessary preparations they often face problems and have difficulty in keeping their job. The transition to work is more than being successful in finding a job, it is also a means to structurally diminish the possible development of a labour disability.

In part two of this country mapping - the case studies - we find four best practices concerning successful qualification for work, the transition from ICT vocational education to ICT employment, and a focus on the important role ICT companies can have in this.

In case study number one we introduce the structured classroom: a good example of mainstream ICT vocational education to comply to the special educational needs of ICT students with autism.

At the start of this development there was some ICT employer involvement and a concern that potentially productive ICT students would not be able to find their way into ICT jobs.

In case study number two we look at the development of the new Pluryn REA College VET 'Application developer' course, and their plans to involve the ICT companies in the development of the training modules at an early stage. An important aspect here is also that the solution is not only sought in more support but also in professional content that has an initial appeal to youngsters with autism (programming and application development).

In case study number three we introduce a training course: 'keeping the job'. In the Netherlands a lot of time and effort is invested in vocational preparation and labour mediation for young people with disabilities. Research data however shows that many young people with disabilities face problems at work during the initial six months of their new jobs. Without additional attention this often leads to an early dropout and the subsequent problem of finding a new job. This training course therefore focuses on analysing the teething problems and the peer group support so as to find effective solutions.

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In case study number four we introduce five REA students and see how their employers describe their successful integration into the labour market.

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II. Case studies: selection of good practices 1. Case study 1: IT-Students with autism in VET–The Structured classroom Preface This information comes from: Final report: ‘ICT EN AUTISME’ commissioned by ECABO: the 'Centre of Expertise on Vocational Education, Training and Labour Market' for economic/administrative, ICT and security professions in the Netherlands.

Subtitle: 'Continuous learning from vocational training and practice training resulting in sustainable work for students with Autism Spectre Disorder (ASD) in ICT; customized qualification' Authors: Anita Robbemont & Monica Tecklenburg.

This project started as a result of concerns from IT-companies. Both nationwide and active regional companies were confronted more and more with students/interns with ASD. It is ECABO’s experience that employers want to participate in the vocational training of these students but have problems with the necessary additional support during their internship.: This project should result in a qualified transfer of these students to the labour market.

The project plan is further elaborated with the VET institutions ‘Koning Willem 1’ from ‘s Hertogenbosch' and ‘Albeda College’ from Rotterdam together with a consortium of companies and ECABO. Aim To determine how young people with disabilities (in this case IT-students with autism) can find their place in the labour market, by appropriate support in the workplace and by appropriate vocational training. The aim of this best practice is to provide information about students with autism in vocational education and training; how one can do this; what are the hints and pitfalls; where one can find more information.

For this purpose a website is developed (www.stichtingpraktijkleren.nl/structuurklas) to encourage, inspire, give examples, motivate, lower thresholds, provide a different view, and support. A lot of information on autism and autism in education is available for everyone who wants to know more.

Motivation In ICT vocational education there is a growing number of students diagnosed with autism. ICT employers establish that an increasing percentage of employees in ICT professions has that diagnosis.

While ICT employers foresee an increasing need for ICT staff, including the specific fields of expertise that offers opportunities to people with autism, they have problems with the extra support that student need during their internship. VET centres see opportunities for these students in the ICT professions but have problems with the content (such as much attention to soft-skills), the design and organization of the training courses (for example the exams) and the additional support.

As experiences from recent years and from different places around the country have shown, it is clear that a section of the students with autism can be qualified for specific professions in ICT (especially application development and network administration) if their special needs are taken 22

into account in their vocational training (the internships included) and in the exam design.

Employers like to collaborate in the vocational education of these students, provided they get sufficient information and support.

Finally it has been found that vocational training centres need information about:  The consequences the disability of the student have on the design of the training courses  The possibilities these students have in the exams  Provisions such as student-related budgets, additional support, etc.

In this domain much is already happening from the side of employers as well as from the side of the vocational education, but coordination is needed so that we can profit from positive experiences. These best practices contribute to a better connexion between vocational training and labour market; partly by offering handles for vocational training and business to have young people with autism qualified and working, and partly by focusing on training courses that both fit this target group better and provide young professionals for the shortages which exist in the labour market (application developers and network administrators).

Background Existing vocational training courses and procedures within VET are geared towards graduation.

For young people with disabilities it is not always possible to finish an education completely, mostly because during the training course there is too little attention paid towards the disability, especially concerning the ‘how’ of the training course.

The ‘structured classroom’ aims at ICT students with autism in VET. There is every reason for vocational education, as well as for business, to retain these young people for the ICT profession.

What goes wrong?

The content of ICT professions, and consequently the content of ICT vocational training, has significantly changed in recent years. While formally there a focus on technical competences, ICT companies nowadays specify a need for the so-called ‘soft-skills’ in order to establish a career in ICT. This means competences like giving support, giving attention and showing understanding, collaborating and discussing, establishing relationships, networking, presenting and coping with change.

Every ICT professional has to deal with this more or less, and these competences become an integrated part of the vocational education programme. For student with autism, mastering these competences often is a problem and this causes a considerable drop-out from vocational education. Vocational training centres tend to offer their student a broad vocational training. That is why they often prefer the vocational training programme of an ICT-administrator to the more specialist training course of an application developer.

For ICT students with autism this vocational training programme is less suitable: they prefer the more technical activities and competences: network administration, software testing and programming. Back-office support is preferred to front-office helpdesk activities.

What do we want to establish?

The availability and accessibility of information about backgrounds and restrictions of students with autism and the consequences this has on education and professional functioning offer these students good opportunities to qualify and find work in the ICT sector. By sharing the experiences 23

several schools have in designing vocational training programmes, exams and support during internships, other schools will be able to offer a suitable vocational education and to involve the ICT business in the education programme.

How-to: What advice and guidelines would you provide to someone who would like to establish a similar practice?

In the Netherlands a vast majority of young people with special educational needs and labour disabilities are in mainstream vocational education. The structured classroom initiative is a good idea for mainstream vocational education institutes that have a (growing) population of ICT students with autism. Many of the characteristics of the structured classroom are also characteristics of the vocational training which Pluryn REA College is providing to young people with disabilities. In all the vocational training (mainstream and special) there is a need for an early involvement of employers for qualifying and for a successful transition to work. This employer involvement was present in the structured classroom initiative. It would be a real step forward if the results in learning environment would also to find its way into the working environment.

Evaluation: What makes it a best practice in your view?

It is a best practice because of the way in which the structured classroom is successful in implementing the special educational needs of these students in the design of the educational environment as well as the training content. Employers need this kind of experience to be successful in establishing structured workplaces to employ productive ICT professionals with autism. For ICT students with autism it is a promising thought that they can be productive in ICT work that is in their ‘comfort zone’.

Contact details: For more information you can contact Stichting praktijkleren on their website: www.stichtingpraktijkleren.nl/structuurklas. (Unfortunately most of the content is in Dutch).

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2. Case study 2: The new REA-College VET course Application developer - cooperation with IT-employers Analysis ICT labour market: development job vacancies In December 2013 ICT teachers from Pluryn REA College checked the actual demand for IT staff in different sectors of work (administration against development), looking at two key job application sites: the National Vacancies site and Monsterboard. We have structured the results of this research and displayed them in the table and related graphs below.

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Trend From the results it is clear that there is a larger demand on the ‘development’ side than there is on the ‘IT administration’ side. The results of both job vacancy sites may not be fully representative for all the IT jobs in the Netherlands. Howeverthe same trend was previously mentioned in a publication from the ‘Automation Guide’. According to knowledge centre ECABO, this stated that in 2011 there were more job vacancies for ICT administrators (level 4) than there were for ‘developers’.

Regional developments Is this country-wide trend also present in regional job vacancies? For this we made a similar survey for a part of the northern region, consisting of a radius of 80 kilometres around the city of Groningen. The results of this are detailed below.

Top 8 These regional graphics show almost the same tendency which we saw in the nation-wide data: the ‘top 8’ consist of job vacancies that are related to ‘development’, and ‘IT administration’ job vacancies are a minority.

We also see that ‘mobile development’ is still somewhat behind, but according to expectations this business will develop very fast.

What can the ‘new IT specialist’ expect?

Additional developments other than ‘development’: not only is development work increasing, but other developments are also becoming more important: - an ongoing development of Social Media - the rise and further integration of Cloud Computing and Virtualization 26

- IT-security and privacy - ‘Bring your own device’ or 'everything is on the internet' The ‘new IT-professional’ will certainly be confronted with parts of the above-mentioned developments. Thanks to the wide overlap in these developments, the new IT-professional has to have a broad area of interest, and not purely be a specialist in one development.

The vocational training course ‘application developer’ Pluryn REA College started this training course on 14th January 2014 with 4 students. It offers options towards becoming either a ‘Front-end developer’ and/or a ‘App developer’.

This vocational training course differs from the ICT administrator coursein the sense that there is early involvement of the (possible future) employer. The first apprenticeship will already be organized after some months.

While the ‘contours’ of the training course are fixed, one can deviate when an employer needs additional knowledge of, for instance a certain programme language or development platform.

Below is a scheme of this training course. As mentioned above, it is already in a pilot phase.

How-to: What advice and guidelines would you provide to someone who would like to establish a similar practice?

Although this new ICT training programme is not yet fully established and many factors that make this initiative promising are still in the planning phase, it is important to realise that an early involvement of ICT business can make the individual training content ‘small and deep’ instead of ‘broad and general’. If this content is in the comfort zone of the student with autism, we have a vocational training programme in which their being ‘special’ is no longer a disadvantage but could in fact be an advantage to some degree.

Evaluation: What makes it a best practice in your view?

If this training programme is successful in providing training content that is of positive interest for the individual student as well as valuable for an ICT business, than we can talk about a good match and a promising start to a professional career.

Contact details: Pluryn REA College; Ron Reeuwijk.

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3. Case study 3: Keeping the job A training programme for people with disabilities (ex-trainees now in employment) facing challenges in their (first) job.

Preface In 2001, the Coronel Institute for Occupational Health began a research programme for employees suffering from various chronic conditions, looking at their perception of work and the problems they experience as a result of their condition. The idea then arose to develop a concept for occupational support that would help people with a chronic condition face their problems, with a view to keeping their job. A pilot course was developed implemented together with the Arbo Unie OH&S service. Based on these experiences, the course was improved and, from late 2006, further implemented in conjunction with Arbo Unie Amsterdam.

In 2012, as part of the international ‘We empower uS bH’ Leonardo project (in which new support concepts in Vocational Education and Training, labour and mediation were developed for youngsters with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus), this course was modified once more and developed into the self-management course: ‘Keeping the Job’.

1. Background and goals A disability can cause major changes in a person’s life. Physical symptoms, pain and fatigue can affect daily performance. Negative thoughts about oneself, reactions from the outside world and possible dependence on those around you influence the way people interact with others. For people with a disability this requires a certain level of self-reflection: who or what am I? What do I want? What am I capable of? And how do I interact with others?

A disability can have far-reaching consequences in the workplace too. Sometimes physical limitations can prevent someone from performing certain duties for extended periods (or performing them at all). It is possible to have more trouble with a disability at work or even as a result of work. Medical treatment can also make demands that conflict with work. Whereas ordinary employees occasionally experience difficulties relating to the demands of their job and suffer from work-related stress, employees with a disability may have twice as much reason to feel stressed. The disability itself, or the difficulties experienced at work, can result in fatigue, a lower level of enjoyment at work, frequent or prolonged absence due to illness or even incapacity to work.

In the Netherlands over the past couple of years, a lot of attention has been paid to employment reintegration of people with a disability, or to the support they can be given to aid their return to employment. The training course ‘Keeping the Job’, however, is aimed at exactly that: keeping a job, based on the notion that keeping a job is easier than finding a new one.

The starting point of the training course is that some of the problems people experience at work can be solved by physical or organisational work adaptations. This requires people to be aware of the problems they face, and to know which solutions might be available. It is also important that they are able to raise these solutions for discussion. Awareness of how communication works and reflection on their own role in the interactions with co-workers and managers can make this easier.

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The guiding principles in the training course are: investigating which problems exist, making these a subject of discussion and coming up with solutions. In this investigation, the ‘Quality of Work’ model is a tool intended to help clarify these matters. This model, here referred to as the ‘work model’, names factors that influence the quality of a person’s work. The course also covers issues such as personal thoughts about one’s disability, and how you communicate about it. Throughout the course, more and more attention will be paid to finding solutions.

If we look at the set-up of the training course it is evident that the employer has an important role in the success of the training. The employer has to realise that this training is about real problems at the workplace and that his/her positive attitude towards looking for solutions is an important success factor in the training programme.

The main goals of the ‘Keeping the Job’ course are to stay in work and to increase job satisfaction.

The secondary goals are: -

-

investigating and clarifying the practical, psychological and social problems that employees may encounter; gaining an understanding of how employees can influence their work situation;- improving socially effective interaction with colleagues, managers, company doctors and others who influence performance at work; developing solutions for various problems; and making the most of employment reintegration schemes.

These goals highlight the core topics of the course.

2. Course set-up, the course manual and the course book For a successful 'keeping the job' training it is important to involve the employers in the development of the actual content of the training course. This can be done in advance of the training course or during the training itself.

2.1. Set-up of the course manual and course book The course manual is intended for trainers, and the course book for participants.

The course book consists of seven chapters: one for each session. In each chapter an overview of the theme and the programme for that session is first provided, followed by a short explanation of what will be discussed in that session, and concluded by the homework assignments. The appendices in the course book offer a more elaborate explanation of the theme for each session.

This can be read in advance, or after the session. Sometimes, extra background information or examples of homework assignments have been added.

2.2 Set-up of the course The guiding principle throughout the course is exploring which problems are encountered in the workplace, raising these for discussion at work, and finding solutions. With each others' help, participants will analyse their problems and possible solutions themselves. Analysing problems using the quality of work model (the ‘work model’) is the main focus of the early course sessions.

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Next, attention is paid to the individual and his/her relationship with managers or colleagues.

Finally, solutions are discussed, for instance in the form of work or workplace adjustments. These three elements recur throughout the course. Participants are expected to try to put these solutions into practice themselves and to encourage the other participants to take action as well.

The course has been set up as a group course, in combination with three individual interviews.

The group part of the course is split up into six biweekly sessions of three hours each, and a follow-up session that takes place two months after the sixth session. Each session has a central theme. Prior to each session, homework assignments have to be completed. These consist of analysing problems, situations and solutions, setting up meetings or reading theory. In each of the group sessions, one or two participants’ quality of work model (see Session 1) is discussed.

In the group sessions, participants are intended to support and encourage each other, to exchange experiences and to practise real-life situations. The result of discussing themes together is a raised awareness of the participants’ own role in dealing with difficult situations, and of the fact that they can learn specific skills to help them in these situations.

The group comprises eight participants, and the course is taught by a single trainer. In one of the sessions a company doctor and an employment expert will be present as guest speakers, and a part of two sessions will be devoted to role-play with an actor.

In addition to the group sessions there are three individual meetings with the trainer: the intake, an interim interview and a follow-up interview at the end of the course, after the sixth session. These last two meetings provide the trainer with the opportunity to give more personal feedback and discuss specific, personal situations.

The trainer is expected to be qualified in the following areas: experience in supervising group sessions, general knowledge of the implications of having a disability in terms of limitations in an employment role and psycho-social consequences, knowledge in the field of labour and health, in particular work-related stress and workload.

How-to: What advice and guidelines would you provide to someone who would like to establish a similar practice?

This training course is originally developed for employees with chronic conditions. In a later phase the training course is established anew for young people with physical disabilities who face problems in their (first) job. It is important to choose the right training content depending on the kind of disability and the capacity of the individual to analyse and solve problems at work.

Evaluation: What makes it a best practice in your view?

In the Dutch context many of the problems that occur in the first (six) months of a new job are dealt with with the support of a job coach. The training programme provides the opportunity to work on work-related problems, where a (small) group gives the participants the opportunity to support each other in analysing and solving problems that often relate to their disability.

Contact details: Pluryn REA College; Ron Reeuwijk.

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4. Case study 4: Success stories from students at Pluryn REA College according to their employers Introduction Pluryn REA College conducts research into the experiences of former students that have found a job and of their employers or managers. We want to ask the manager about their experiences with this person and what made this a success. We also want to know what support from Pluryn REA College is needed and what government regulations for this group are necessary.

1. The company 1.1

Practical questions: What business, what products or services?

1.2

About employees with a labour disability in the company:  How many employees with a labour disability does your company employ?  What kind of disability are we talking about?  What jobs do these people work in?  How did you come into contact with the former student from Pluryn REA College?

Apparently the combination of a small company; clear activities, a limited number of colleagues and personal attention for these youngsters are important criteria for successful participation.

Experts from Pluryn REA College have an important role in establishing contact with the employers.

2.

Experiences with the former students from Pluryn REA College

2.1 Please tell us how things are going on the workplace.

What strikes us is that apparently there is a bond between employer and former student once they have been successful in solving the teething problems. This appears to stimulate a stronger commitment to go on.

2.2 I would like to present to you a number of employee competences: could you tell whether these competences also apply to your employee?

Reliability, care, being able to and willing to collaborate, prepared to learn more, and flexibility are without exception all mentioned in a positive way and appear to be important success factors.

Considering the nature of the disability of these former students this is certainly remarkable. Work pace and independency seem more often to be points of attention and there individual solutions are sought.

2.3 Were there capacities that needed additional training?

It is remarkable that the basic capacities mentioned here - basics Dutch language, basic English / German language, elementary calculations, basic IT-capacities - appear to be less important than basic professional know-how and professional capacities.

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2.4

Does the former student get additional support or are there work (place) adaptations?

Here one notices how much the extra support and/or the work (place) adaptation is customized.

Extra support is important at the start and becomes gradually less important. Both employer and employee are in the process of working towards successfully finding the right adaptations.

2.5 Looking at the way thing are going: what did you do to make the labour integration successful? Or: what is your ‘success formula’?   





3.

Intensive support and giving confidence, gradually leaving the student alone to do the work.

Give him the opportunity to be who he is. He has no special position in the company: he is one of the boys and his colleagues do not know about his disability.

All the progress is a success. He is happy in his work. We try to make him feel at home in our company. Much support and motivation for the things he does well. Explanation to the staff how to work with him and why. Do not expect him to do everything.

Just do it; in which I focused on her capacities. Giving confidence and deserving this confidence is important. Not especially looked for a success formula. There was the need for a new colleague so the opportunity occurred. I look for qualities and potencies.

I have always addressed him in a positive but critical way in which a positive conclusion is important. Besides that we have our small scale, the structured work tasks and extra support. There was regular contact and control; he is challenged on his strong points so that his self-confidence grew. The weak points were mentioned but as development items.

The support from Pluryn REA College

What support from Pluryn REA College is needed?

Here it is seen that employers think intensive support is very important. In this it is also important to supply tailor-made solutions.

When we consider this former student: what is your opinion about the support from Pluryn REA College?

The employers are content. It is noted as important to not give support if not necessary; they want to get support from Pluryn REA College only when this is needed; not sooner.

4.

Conditions for working with young people with disabilities

What government regulations are necessary?

(Wage dispensation; premium discounts; subsidy of the extra costs related to giving / keeping the job; no-risk policy; work trials; wage subsidy) Although employers state that these financial incentives are not the most important part, it is evident that they use all the government regulations that help people with disabilities to get a job, and so these regulations are important.

Can you think of other regulations necessary to keep these youngster at work?

Government shoud ensure that there is continuity in the facilities. Work (place) adaptations can make the difference. Wage dispensation is important. Compensation of retraining costs would be 32

welcome. The introduction of a quota system to force companies to employ more young people with disabilities is for these employers not a good idea.

5.

Considerations to employ young people with disabilities

How important is it in your opinion to employ young people with disabilities?

The central theme in this for employers is ‘giving opportunities’. This giving of opportunities appears to be grounded in a personal and social conviction that people with disabilities have to be included in society. Besides this, employers are also pragmatic: ‘we are entrepreneurs and the company has to profit’.

6. Future opportunities What qualifications or vocational training could provide extra opportunities in the labour market for young people with disabilities?

The answers here tend to go in the direction of (more) know-how and more professional skills.

Sometimes there is a notion that certain disabilities are easily combined with a good professional performance. Additional opportunities in the labour market for these youngsters arise by a good alignment of government policy, education and work opportunities.

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Appendix Description of the cooperation between VET training centre and VET employer: interview with a former Pluryn REA College ICT student and his employer.

Personal data 

  

Age 25; Male; ICT level 3 training course at Pluryn REA College: ICT Management Assistant.

Former education: preparatory VET (diploma); Housing/living circumstances: Supported living.

Questions about the job The name of the company is WIFIMEDIA. I have worked here for 5 years; 38 hours a week over 5 days. I have a regular contract and my function is technical employee. I provide technical services and technical support. I support customers by telephone and mail during the RMA process; processing, receipts processing, shop sales when it is busy.

At the start I had fewer tasks than the others, but now I am versatile. In the beginning I was mainly handling the orders and technical analysing of malfunctioning equipment that was brought back. At that time I had no contact with customers, neither in the shop nor on the phone.

Once in three months my job coach drops in for a short visit. Because of the structured work process and a lot of experience I no longer need support. The first three/four years there was additional contact and support for the employer.

Opinions about the work Physical work is good for me; not behind a desk for the entire day. This is much variation in tasks: receipts, mail/phone contacts, technical proceedings, RMA, sales support. The job is physically not very demanding: you have to stand and lift things all day, but I have become stronger and now I am used to that. Mental workload: one has to be concentrated because one cannot make mistakes with orders. By now I am also used to this, and I know what is expected of me by the structure that is given to my work. As a result of this structure, I don’t have full work freedom, but I can ‘colour’ my work; in this you learn from one another.

My contact with my employer is good: there are no problems. The contact with colleagues is also good: I can get along with everyone. The work atmosphere is good. I have a steady job so I don’t worry much about the future. There is of course the fact that we sell a luxury product and in the past period the business was more, and some of my colleagues have gone. One cannot be sure of anything nowadays. I am content about my wages; I am out of my disability pension because my wage value is now 100% and that is great.

I have an ICT vocational education and the work that I do is somewhat below my capacities. I enjoy my work, but could do more. Even so, I can carry on and if necessary can do something extra.

At this moment I have a job coach who visits me every three months. There is no more support. In the beginning there were weekly talks with a reduction to once a month. I have not needed extra support for some time now because I now know and master my work through and through.

To say that my disability troubles me is too much. I was born with it and I have to live with it and make the best out of it. It is important for me that my work is well structured and within my area of interest. It is important for me that there is enough work. Doing nothing has a negative impact on my concentration and then I start making mistakes. This has now improved by self-training. To 34

prevent possible mistakes there is a standardised control in my work structure. Working provides structure and satisfaction. I have an income and the work has brought me more social contacts.

The Employer’s view: an interview with his employer The company  Consumer electronics.  Six employees: not part of a larger organisation.  This person has PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder). He himself applied for the job. Later on, the labour expert from Pluryn REA College provided information about existing regulations/possibilities.

The experiences with this former student from Pluryn REA College It is going well now; but it needed some years to arrive where we now are. There is now a good contact between employer and employee. In the beginning there was a difficult period in which things almost went wrong. There were mistakes and frequent private internet use. From that time on, his work is frequently checked and structured and now for a year things have gone well. He now also answers the phone, calls customers and if necessary assists in the shop.

He is reliable; he has to bring in the systems of the customers and he is working on expensive devices. He is also careful and precise: one has to pay attention to what one sends to the customers and check the receipts/documents well. His work pace is fast but this is not really a necessity. His condition is good; he likes to work hard and cannot stand doing nothing. He is able to and wants to cooperate with others. He has in time become independent. He is willing to learn and because of frequent new technology this is important. Flexibility was not required but he is now flexible. He has become a loyal employee.

His basic ICT skills were good. He had to learn all the things every new employee has to learn: product knowledge, installing systems. The work he does is in his ‘comfort zone’.

I have always had a critical but positive attitude towards him in which a positive conclusion is important. Besides that, the small scale, the properly restricted workload and extra support have contributed positively. There was frequent contact and control; he was challenged on his strong points so that his self-confidence increased. His weak points were mentioned but more as development aspects.

Conditions for employing young people with disabilities There is a social responsibility of an employer to work with these young people. The employer employs a person with a disability and if this is not successful he can use the regulations concerning a termination of the labour contract. The financial regulations are not the most important items. It is good that providing opportunities can be done in cost-neutral circumstances.

Other important regulations: dispensation of wages; premium discounts, No-risk policy, a trial job and a job coach.

Future opportunities ICT and autism are sometimes a good combination: screen-oriented and creative. On the other hand the contact with other people can be less positive: there can be a need for an extra layer in communication.

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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.

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