Introduction to Leonardo da Vinci project 'Training Workshops'

Storic d.o.o. was successful candidate on call from national coordinator of Leonardo da Vinci projects CMEPIUS for grant from EU found for education and culture. There are four partners from Slovenia involved in the project and one partner from Austria and one Hungary. Storic d.o.o. is sheltered workshop that from the beginning of its foundation takes special attention for disabled persons and persons with other disabilities especially training and reintegration into work which is also main topic of the project Training Workshops.

The Project

The project aims at finding training opportunities of vulnerable groups in the proposed new institutional form – Training Workshop, whose specialty is training, particularly the disabled and other vulnerable groups in the concrete workplace with the possibility of obtaining a valid public document, which will mean better opportunity for employment and promotion in the workplace. Realization of the project will be based on three experimental workshops with the three professional programs in which we expect 40 people involved.

Duration of the project and results

The launch of the program was in November 2007 and will last 18 months that is by May 2009. Based on analysis of the programs trainees will be trained in three vocations and building a network of workshops especially for occupations in shortage and the professions, where employment opportunities of disabled people is greatest.

Training workshops and Autism

Persons with autistic syndrome in Slovenia are the "gray spot" in of vulnerable group's issues. In the current form of solution in aspect of rights and status of these persons the possibilities do not fit. Especially problematic is their integration into society and work. The project will display a comprehensive issue focusing on employment opportunities of persons with autistic syndrome. Learning workshop for this population will be special because of the peculiarities involved, but given the response on the viability and expected results of the training. The practice in some developed countries confirms our positive expectations.