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SUPPORT – Supported Employment for Reducing Long-Term Unemployment Among Persons with Disabilities

SUPPORT – Supported Employment for Reducing Long-Term Unemployment Among Persons with Disabilities project is co-funded by the European Social Fund and aims to tackle the persistent issue of long-term unemployment among persons with disabilities in the open labour market. The project will scale up and transfer socially innovative Supported Employment practices across various EU regions, addressing the significant employment barriers persons with disabilities face through immediate job placement and ongoing support.

Background

People with disabilities face significant employment barriers, with unemployment durations being 40-50% longer than non-disabled individuals, the project aims to transform this situation by scaling up and transferring socially innovative Supported Employment practices across various EU regions. These practices, proven effective in countries like Austria and Belgium, offer tailored solutions for persons with disabilities, including job coaching, employer training, and continuous support for retention on the labour market. This will ensure capacity building to various stakeholders including employers, local authorities, employment agencies, and service providers for persons with disabilities to ensure long term employment to most vulnerable groups in the labour market. Through its activities, the project supports the European Disability Employment Package and the European Pillar of Social Rights by addressing gaps in employment services and employer engagement.

Target Groups

  • Persons with disabilities in long term unemployment
  • Service providers for persons with disabilities
  • Employers, employment agencies and local employment authorities

Activities

  • Country Sheets on long-term unemployment of persons with disabilities
  • Local Stakeholder Maps identifying key actors in employment ecosystems
  • Country Adaptation & Implementation Strategies for Supported Employment
  • Guidelines on subsidies and funding mechanisms for Supported Employment
  • Comprehensive Training Materials for practitioners and employers
  • Training Programmes for employment services, service providers, and employers
  • Employer Engagement Campaigns promoting inclusive hiring practices
  • Employment of 130 persons with disabilities through the project pilots
  • Webinars with over 200 local authorities and companies on Supported Employment
  • Guidelines for companies for transforming HR Policies towards inclusion
  • European Recommendations on scaling up Supported Employment

Partners

The project is led by the European European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities (EASPD), and is implemented together with 14 other organisations:

Contacts