THE “OCCUPATIONAL AND SOCIAL INCLUSION” PROJECT RECOGNISED AS A NATIONAL BEST PRACTICE

Gruppo Mastrotto has devised a path of social and work inclusion dedicated to people with disabilities of working age, with particular attention to Down syndrome. He created a production department for the assembly of leather samples of the Gruppo Mastrotto Express service; to date five employees with disabilities work. The objective of the project is to achieve a level of productivity that makes the department sustainable over time and allows disabled people to succeed at both personal and professional level by interacting constructively with the company and colleagues.

Gruppo Mastrotto was supported by the social cooperative Rinascere di Montecchio Maggiore and Studio Progetto di Valdagno, responsible for the selection and training of candidates.

In this case, inclusion has meant promoting the values of welcoming, comparing and enhancing diversity.

The project has developed through several phases.

First, an analysis of the needs of people with disabilities was carried out, selecting them thanks to the collaboration of dedicated public services such as the Labour Integration Service (SIL) and the Arzignano Employment Centres.

We then went on to an incubation phase, through which the selected people were able to acquire the skills required through a job placement internship conducted at the Rinascere cooperative. In the premises of the cooperative, a simulated department was created in which the operators trained the trainees in the assembly of leather samples (folders and bundles) with the aim of verifying and enhancing their working skills, reinforcing behaviours functional to a professional context. Subsequently, the interns were placed in the actual assembly department within the company.

The “Inclusion” project received numerous awards including, in 2022, the prestigious “ DNA - Difference in Addition” award for job inclusion.

The award is recognised by the National Office against Racial Discrimination of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Department for Equal Opportunities and sponsored by the Lazio Region and intends to enhance virtuous projects related to the inclusion of diversity in micro, small, medium and large enterprises.

Gruppo Mastrotto has won ex aequo recognition with Enel, Capgemini and TIM.