Mentoring Programmes as a Tool Supporting the Labour Market Realisation of People with Disabilities

Bulgaria

Marie Curie Association

31 Osvobozhdenie Blvd Trakia, "Karina" House 4023 Plovdiv, BULGARIA tel. +359 32 622128 fax: +359 32 628890 Mobile: +359 896 698 489 e-mail: petia@marie-curie-bg.org http://www.marie-curie-bg.org

NGO

Within LLP funded project called "Validating Mentoring 2". Successful mentoring programmes that meet the needs of people with disabilities were introduced in three countries: Bulgaria, Turkey, and the UK. The project also aims to provide active support for disabled and disadvantaged people through the provision of an enhanced Code of Practice for Mentoring.VM2 aims to update, revise and extend a range of existing tools and instruments, centred around a Code of Practice for Mentoring, in order to more actively support the planning, implementation and evaluation of mentoring schemes.

The mentoring approach has been tested mainly within European projects funded under LLP Transfer of Innovation Measure. The mentoring implements flexible and effective way of informal learning based on user-centred design approach.

After the successful completion of the mentoring prorogramme the majority of the participants/mentees found a job in different companies from those they have been mentored. The feedback mentees give is more than positivi. They share that their self-confidence and job-readiness have been increased and their knowledge and skills were improved. Some of the feedbacks were described in the so-called Case Studies where some mentees describe their experience and feedback. Below is an abstract from a Case Study describing the opinion of a mentee who took part in the mentoring programme in Bulgaria.
Jordanka is 43-year-old woman who is leaving in a Sheltered House for people with disabilities. In 2008 she was involved as a mentee in six month process. After the end of the programme she stated:"According to the preparation for participation in the programme Iordanka says: To be included in the mentoring scheme I received individual preparation by being briefed for the nature of the programme and what my participation means, my commitments, the benefits and the opportunities provided by the training in working environment. Initially, I expected that I will be taught by my mentor to different useful things about sewing but soon I realized that I will recall what it means to go to work. I got out of the habit to wear a working suit, to be punctual for the meetings, not to smoke whenever I would like to. Of course, many times I have tried to take into consideration all these things but when you have a mentor you become more responsible. I have learned many things during my preparation. One of them is that I take a huge responsibility when I learn that work is a commitment. "

mentoring, training, informal learning, people with disabilities, disadvantaged people, support, skills, knowledge, innovative, self-confidence, job-readiness, employers, approach