12th Conference EUSE Lisbon 2015

1. “ Improving Diversity through
Supported Employment ”

2. Main findings of the NextStep
project 2013 -2015
A Leonardo da Vinci partnership
Grete Wangen &
Øystein Spjelkavik
hosted by:
In association with:

3. Partners
• Work Research Institute, Oslo, Norway (coordinator)
• Universidad de Salamanca. Instituto Universitario de Integración en la
Comunidad, Salamanca, Spain
• University of Lapland, Finland
• Welsh Centre for Learning Disabilities, Cardiff, UK
• Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment, Belfast, UK
• Optima arbeidslivsmestring Grete Wangen, Oslo, Norway
• Salva Vita Foundation, Budapest, Hungary
• Uniwersytet Warszawski, Warszaw, Poland
• KARE - Promoting Inclusion for People with Intellectual Disabilities,
Newbridge, Ireland
• Misa AB, Solna, Sweden
• Kiipula Foundation / Vocational Rehabilitation Centre, Turenki, Finland

4. The project
The project has been aimed to identify how the 5-Stage process, as developed by the Leonardo
Partnership 2008 – 2010, works after it has been implemented in various local, regional and
national settings:
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the 5-Stage process model after 5 years in operation?
• Identification of lessons learned and exchange of experiences - identification of improvement
procedures
Each partner has carried out a case study of the implementation of the 5-stage supported
employment project in their country, describing:
• The organization and resources of any agency acting as a case study
• The processes operating in relation to the 5-stage supported employment model
• The client groups and employers served in the case study
• The work and personal outcomes delivered for the clients and employers involved in the case
study.
• The national and local policies and legal frameworks that underpin the success of the case study
http://www.workinclusion.eu/project-description.html

5. Main findings
1. The EUSE 5 stage process is well known and service providers use it
2. Perceived as a guide for performing Supported Employment in Europe
3. Lacks clearcut measurable quality criteria – service providers can do
almost as they wish and still call it Supported Employment
4. Main activities appear at stage 2, which indicates that service providers
focus on pre-employment activities rather than activities directly at the
work place
5. There has been very little attention to how Supported Employment
performed according to the EUSE 5 stage process works with and
supports employers, and how the work place is used in partnership with
employers for training purposes and job development
6. Also very little attention has been paid to develop natural and on-going
supports

6. What happened to «place then
train»?
• Why does stage 2 of the Five Step Process take so long?
• Has the old regime of «train then place» returned into SE:
o Training
o Other issues than work
o The job readiness paradigm
• Shouldn’t stage 2 be rather short according to the place-train
principle?
• Why does it happen that clients of Supported Employment
following the EUSE 5 stage process are seen as not “job
ready”? Is it up to individual employment specialist to judge
whether a client is “job ready”?
• Should SE be «work focused» or «whole life focused»?

7. What happened to «place then
train»?
• Is there a difference between a placement in
Supported Employment and “place and pray”-
placements? In what way does the EUSE 5 stage
process make this difference visible?
• Is SE about «job development» or «recruitment of
labour for employers»?
• What competencies should funders expect from a
job coach?