EQUAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVE PROGRAMME
DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP SINTEZA
PROMOTING AND IMPLEMENTING LIFELONG LEARNING IN COMPANIES EMPLOYING THE DISABLED

Within the EQUAL Community initiative, financed by the European Social Fund (ESF), Slovenia is implementing measures and activities to ensure equal opportunities on the labour market for employees and job-seekers. The new ways of fighting discrimination are also being encouraged by means of transnational cooperation.

Since 23rd June 2005, 20 development partnerships are operating in Slovenia. Their activities are co-financed by the European Union and the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Affairs, and are specified in the Single programming document “The EQUAL Community Initiative Programme 2004 – 2006 for the Republic of Slovenia.”

One of the development partnerships is the Development Partnership SINTEZA, which consists of 11 partners.

The coordinator of the development partnership is RACIO SOCIAL, Institution for the development of social and employment programmes. Other partners are ZIPS, The Alliance of Companies Employing Disabled People of Slovenia, CRI Celje, rehabilitation, production, services, DDS, The Muscular Dystrophy Association of Slovenia, ZDIS, The Federation of Disabled Workers of Slovenia, ŽELVA, Company for training and employment of disabled persons, ANIMACIJA, Ltd., IPP, Ltd., Company employing the disabled, Štore, IC Štore, Ltd., Educational Centre Štore, DART, human resources development, services and production, Lendava, Ltd., and the Institute for Rehabilitation of Slovenia.

The Development Partnership SINTEZA is carrying out activities in the field of lifelong learning. The partners are dealing with the problem of functional literacy and encouraging lifelong learning of employees working in companies employing the disabled.

By means of network cooperation and linking at a national and transnational level, they are testing and establishing conditions for enforcing the model of lifelong learning, adjusted to the vulnerable groups in companies employing the disabled. The emphasis is on modified education and training methods for Information and Communication Technology.

Together, they are developing and testing the educational and motivational programmes in companies employing the disabled.

The educational programmes are designed for workers with low qualifications and expert workers who deal with the field of education. The motivational programmes motivate and inform the management in companies employing the disabled and the members of disability organisations about the importance of lifelong learning.

The partners exchange their experience and ideas with partners from Italy, France and the Netherlands within the Transnational Development partnership EN-POWER.

The activities will be taking place until October 2007.