Innovation in employment for disabled people

At a meeting of the Hafnarfjörður Family Board on 11 September 2015, it was agreed to allocate funding for a one-year pilot project on innovation in employment for disabled people in Hafnarfjörður. The project is being carried out in consultation with the Employment Authority.

Guðlaug Kristjánsdóttir, chair of the family council, says that pilot workshops will be set up with the aim of creating opportunities for disabled people to work on innovation and new projects. „There is a great need for a bridge between education and the world of work, and this will look specifically at that connection. We want to take new approaches to the activation and employment participation of disabled people, with the aim of changing attitudes and working practices in the provision of services for disabled people in Hafnarfjörður,“ says Guðlaug.

The aim is to link the project with the Vinnumálastofnunar project „Activating Skills, All Skills“ and thus secure exciting projects suited to each individual.  To bridge the gap between graduation and employment in the mainstream labour market for those who aspire to it. The project is intended to increase the empowerment of disabled people by giving them choices, enabling them to participate in the labour market and to have an impact on their own lives.

„The project is already underway with us, five individuals have started work and we want to encourage businesses and workplaces in the town to take part in this project with us,“ says Gudlaug.

Participants will, among other things, visit workplaces and work on specific, defined projects under the guidance of staff from the City of Hafnarfjörður. They will also receive training and work on innovative projects that they are interested in setting up.

Companies interested in taking part in the project are advised to contact the project manager, Þórdís Rúriksdóttir, at the email address. 
thordisru@hafnarfjordur.is.