European Social Fund in Poland: Best Practices - Europejski ...

Alicja Jasińska,
uzyskała Europejski
Certyfikat Umiejętności
Komputerowych:
Przez pięć lat byłam
bezrobotna i czułam się
z tym bardzo źle. Dzięki
udziałowi w projekcie
nauczyłam się obsługi
komputera i dostałam
ciekawą pracę
Alicja Jasińska,
has obtained the European
Computer Driving Licence:
I was out of work for five years
and this made me feel terrible.
Thanks to my participation
in the project I learnt to operate
a computer and managed
to find an interesting job
» The main obstacle to finding work for people who have been without employment for a long time is their passivity.
They fall victim to apathy and low self-esteem, falling into a trap of thinking that they have no influence over their life
circumstances. The best remedy for this state is to find a job. Professional activity is the best way of integrating disabled
people into society and of entering the labour market. Having a job not only helps to pay one’s bills but, first and foremost,
it becomes the most efficient method of health rehabilitation.
The project impresses with its comprehensive scope and the range of complementary measures being undertaken.
It also offers a highly personalized approach to each participant. It includes group therapy meetings to ensure that
people looking for work become more active and show greater initiative. Some 100 persons have been involved
in the project, with 40 of them taking part in basic computer skills training compatible with the European Computer Driving
Licence (ECDL) requirements. The course comprises 200 hours of training and ends with an external examination.
Psychological guidance as well as professional counselling and some job recruitment assistance are also offered. These
three groups of services form an essential part of the project. A psychologist and a professional counsellor prepare individual
schedules for each of the participants and select candidates for professional internship. “An individual approach
to each client is, of course, more time-consuming, but it gives better results in the long run”, stresses Marek Piasecki.
Then it is time for job recruitment consultants to get involved. Their role is the key to the overall success of the project,
because they are responsible for securing job offers and direct liaison with employers. They have been outstanding
in their role, as the great majority of the project participants have found jobs.
Marek Piasecki remembers very well that establishing the Foundation and being self-employed gave him true independence
and great satisfaction. He tries, therefore, to develop the attitude of entrepreneurialism in the people who come
to the Foundation for help. “This year we plan to form a group with a view to setting up a co-operative that will offer
social services on a commercial basis. This is an interesting form of business activity in which business risk is spread
evenly over all the co-operative members”, explains Marek Piasecki. “At the same time they are allowed certain preferences
that facilitate a good start in business.” ◗
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