slovenia - learnabil-it country mapping
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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
Mutual Learning on Skills for the ICT Labour Market for People with Disabilities
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.
2
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
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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 “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.”
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.
1 Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004
2 https://www.uradni-list.si/1/index?edition=201296#!/Uradni-list-RS-st-96-2012-z-dne-14-12-2012 3http://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
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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 2014-
2020 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.
6 Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004
7 http://www.jpi-sklad.si/skladi/invalidski-sklad/
8http://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-s-
posebnimi-potrebami/ 12
http://www.svetovalnica.com/studenti-s-posebnimi-potrebam
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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 Slovenia14. 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
– 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 – if possible.
13
http://www.ir-rs.si/en/Center_for_vocational_rehabilitation/ 14 http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/standardi_storitev_zr.pdf
6
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 long-
term 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
UMAR: Report on development 2013., Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia 2013 16
Ms Brigita Anzeljc, head of Labour office Ljubljana and Mr Sandi Meke, coordinator of cooperation with
employers
7
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 hard-
of-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 18
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
8
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
9
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 Actors Time/
frequency Form
Labour market search
URI professionals
(especially social
workers), clients
on-going
Individual
Weekly Group
Contacting employers
Employers, URI
professionals
(especially social
workers), clients
on-going
Individual
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
10
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
Follow up during OJT
URI professionals,
client, employer
Ongoing/ at
least weekly Individual
Employer, URI
professionals Monthly
Individual
(questionnaire
and personal)
Client, URI
professionals Monthly
Individual
(questionnaire
and personal)
Monthly Group
Final OJT evaluation -
establishing work efficiency,
need for support and workplace
adaptations
URI professionals,
client, employer
At the end of
VR Individual
Counselling employers about
managing the procedures in
relation to entitlement to wage
subsidies, and reimbursement
of costs of workplace adaptation
and support to PwD
URI professionals,
employer, ESS,
Disability fund
At the end of
VR Individual
Follow up and support after
employment URI professionals
All through
employment/ at
least 1 year
Individual
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
11
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
Official Gazette RS, No. 63/2004 21
http://www.mddsz.gov.si/fileadmin/mddsz.gov.si/pageuploads/dokumenti__pdf/standardi_storitev_zr.pdf
12
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
22
http://www.cpi.si/en/about-cpi.aspx 23
http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/NPKbrosura2_170x230_splet.pdf 24
http://www.telekom.si/en
13
(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-delom-
pud.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-s-
posebnimi-potrebami/
14
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 providers’ 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 one’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-the-
job 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.
15
VR service
providers 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
T
o
t
a
l
N
e
w
T
o
t
a
l
N
e
w
A
c
t
i
v
e
T
o
t
a
l
N
e
w
A
c
t
i
v
e
T
o
t
a
l
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 45 351 46 153 450 109 260 502 176 279 308 91
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
providers’ 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 61 20,3
Supported mainstream employment 21 7,0
Employment in enterprises, employing PwD 113 37,5
Sheltered employment (employment centre) 47 15,6
Community work placement 59 19,6
Total 301
Table 4: Outcomes of employment from vocational rehabilitation 2012 in Slovenia
16
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 6 33,3
Supported mainstream employment 3 16,7
Employment in enterprises, employing PwD 1 5,6
Sheltered employment (employment centre) 4 22,2
Community work placement 4 22,2
Total 18
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.
17
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.
29
http://www.cpi.si/files/cpi/userfiles/Publikacije/Spremljava_eng.pdf
18
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.
19
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)
20
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 co-
workers as a part of the team.
30
http://www.jpi-sklad.si/skladi/invalidski-sklad/
21
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
http://www.bizi.si/PRIZMA-IP-D-O-O/maticno-podjetje/
22
Case study 2: On–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
- 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
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 – 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.
23
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 role-
played 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.
24
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 Ribarič, IT TIM d.o.o., Ulica heroja Šaranoviča 37, 2000 Maribor;
http://it-tim.si/
25
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:
26
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
27
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
http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju
28
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. µ
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 – 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:
29
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
http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju
30
List of interviewees
Participants in the country mapping
Name Role/ education Organisation
Type of
organisation
Interviews
1 Simona
Korez
Vocational
trainer, case
manager, ICT
expert
Racio, družba za razvoj človeškega
kapitala,d.o.o.
Kersnikova ulica 19, 3000 Celje
http://www.racio.si/
Vocational
rehabilitation
service provider
2 Ana Korat
Case manager,
occupational
therapist
Centerkontura d.o.o.,
Linhartova 51, 1000
Ljubljana
http://www.centerkontura.si/
Vocational
rehabilitation
service provider
3
Predrag
Pavlović
Case manager,
vocational
trainer
URI Maribor
Čufarjeva c. 5
2000 Maribor
http://www.uri-soca.si/en/
Vocational
rehabilitation
service provider
4 Mateja
Sok
Case manager,
occupational
therapist
URI Maribor
Čufarjeva c. 5
2000 Maribor
http://www.uri-soca.si/en/
Vocational
rehabilitation
service provider
4 Brigita
Anzeljc
Head of the
Labour Office
Ljubljana
Employment service of Slovenia
http://english.ess.gov.si/
Employment
service
5 Sandi
Meke
Coordinator of
cooperation
with employers,
Employment service of Slovenia
The ESS Regional office in Ljubljana
Parmova 32, 1000 Ljubljana
http://english.ess.gov.si/
Employment
service
6 Bojana
Korošec HR manager
Špica International d.o.o.Pot k
sejmišču 33
1231 Ljubljana
http://www.spica.si/
ICT employer
7 Jan
Kocjančič Call centre
T 2 d.o.o. Verovškova 64A, 1000
Ljubljana
http://www.t-2.com/poslovni/o-
podjetju
ICT employer
8 Matevž
Pintar
Manager,
mentor
Prizma IP d.o.o.
Kopališka 8A, Škofja Loka
www.kcm.si
ICT employer
9 Stanko
Šalamon
Executive
manager
ICT Technology Network Institute
Dunajska cesta 159
SI-1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia http://www.ict-
slovenia.net/eng/about-technology-
network
Representative
organisation of
ICT employers
31
10 Ksenija
Rozman
Work
experience
coordinator
University of Ljubljana
Faculty of Computer and Information
Science
Tržaška cesta 25
SI-1001 Ljubljana
Slovenia
http://www.fri.uni-lj.si/en/about/
Representative of
the higher
education
Best practices
11 Barbara
Ribarič
Head of
finances
IT TIM d.o.o.
Ulica heroja Šaranoviča 37 2000
Maribor
http://it-tim.si/
ICT employer
12 Matevž
Pintar
Manager,
mentor
Prizma IP d.o.o.
Kopališka 8A, Škofja Loka
www.kcm.si
ICT employer
13 Jan
Kocjančič
Head of
customer
support and
teleshopping
T-2 d.o.o.
Verovškova 64A, 1000, Ljubljana
http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju
ICT employer
Focus group participants
14
Mateja
Golob
Matzele
HR
Telekom Slovenije, d.d.
Cigaletova 15
1000 Ljubljana
http://www.telekom.si/en
ICT employer
15 Ivan
BABIČ Head of HR
Iskratel, d.o.o.
Ljubljanska cesta 24a
4000 Kranj
http://www.iskratel.com/en/about-
us/about-company
ICT employer
16 Mirza
Kovačević
Auto mechanic,
has self-learned
computer skills
Unemployed PwD – in the VRC
waiting list
17 Anja
Tratnik ICT engineer Employed outside ICT
Former VRC
client
18 Bor
Melanšek
Call centre
agent
T-2 d.o.o.
Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana
http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju
PwD - employee
19 Marko
Kušar
Call centre
technical
assistant
T-2 d.o.o.
Verovškova 64A, 1000 Ljubljana
http://www.t-2.net/o-podjetju
PwD - employee
32
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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 appro-
priate 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.