Inclusion initiative for vocational education and employment

The German Federal Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs, the leading industry associations, the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), the German Federal Employment Agency, the Association of German Counties (DLT), the integration agencies of the federal states associated within the national association of integration offices (BIH), the associations for people with disabilities and the federal government representative for the affairs of people with disabilities have agreed on a joint inclusion initiative for more in-company vocational education and employment of people with disabilities.

In the context of this initiative, several events and campaigns are planned, which are to be carried out independently as well as in co-operation. The initiative is supposed to focus on raising the awareness of trade businesses and enterprises for the labour force potential and performance capability of people with disabilities. Regional co-operation of various stakeholders is intended to result in a review and staffing of new apprenticeship placements and jobs for people with disabilities.

A fundamental part of the inclusion initiative will include additional efforts on part of the employment agencies, the joint institutions and communal job centres with the aim of promoting the placement of severely disabled people with even greater intensity and accuracy. To this end, they will be allocated additional funds of 50 million Euro from the Ausgleichsfonds (equalisation fund). With this, also new, sustainable local projects, for example, for long-term unemployed, severely disabled people, are to be developed and established. The programme will be launched in 2014 and will run for three years.

The joint initiative is part of the German federal government's National Action Plan for implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which the federal government passed into legislation in June 2011. It augments the inclusion initiative contained therein, which intends to promote the occupational orientation of young people with handicaps, the vocational education and training provision for youths and employment for older people with severe disabilities as well as the inclusion competence of the chambers of industry and commerce.

Moreover, the inclusion initiative for vocational education and training and employment is intended to recruit additional skilled labour for trade businesses and enterprises. Therefore, this initiative is also an important contribution to the German federal government's skilled labour offensive.

In the context of this initiative, the leading industry associations BDA, DIHK and ZDH will launch their own joint nationwide campaign "INKLUSION GELINGT!" (Inclusion is successful) to encourage enterprises and trade businesses towards more vocational education and training provision for and employment of people with disabilities. The messages of this campaign will be carried into the nation's regions by the federations of employers, their training institutes and the chambers in co-operation with many other stakeholders such as the employment agencies, joint institutions, communal job centres, integration agencies, representatives of severely disabled people and associations of people with disabilities. A contribution will be made also by the project "WIRTSCHAFT INKLUSIV" (WEconomy Inclusive) of the Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft ambulante berufliche Rehabilitation e.V. (Federal association of outpatient occupational rehabilitation, registered association).

The integration agencies of the federal states will improve their advisory and information services for severely disabled people and employers as well as their co-operation with in-company stakeholders. They will expand existing networks and align these even more towards co-operation.

The DGB, the associations for people with disabilities, the Association of German Counties (DLT) and the federal government representative for the affairs of people with disabilities will support this inclusion initiative with their respective structures and thus contribute to successfully launching it throughout Germany.