Paving the Way for Employment: An Evaluation

Job, Funktionsnedsættelser, Handicap, Beskæftigelse, Uddannelse

The project "Paving the Way to Employment" aims to support young people with disabilities in overcoming internal barriers that may hinder their access to the labor market or further education. Through a course program, the project seeks to strengthen participants’ self-understanding, self-confidence, and belief in their own abilities, while also providing concrete strategies for managing both working life and everyday life with a disability.

This evaluation aims to assess whether the project has had the intended impact on the participating youth. The evaluation focuses on two key areas. First, it examines the extent to which the project has succeeded in breaking down internal barriers for the participants. Second, it assesses how far the participants have come toward employment or education after completing the course.

To evaluate these aspects, the study is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative part consists of surveys conducted at the beginning of the course, at its conclusion, and six months after completion. The qualitative part includes observations and interviews, providing deeper insight into the participants’ life situations as young people with disabilities.

The evaluation was carried out by the Research Center for Disability and Employment, with Associate Professor Ditte Shamshiri-Petersen as project leader and Professor Thomas Bredgaard as project participant. Student assistants Marika Urban Bløde, Sofie Locht, and Maria Petersen contributed to data collection and analysis.

"Paving the Way to Employment" was developed as a project from 2020 to 2025 by the Danish Association of Youth with Disabilities (SUMH), funded by the VELUX FOUNDATION. The job-seeking and coping program for unemployed youth was created in collaboration with the Institute for the Blind and Partially Sighted (IBOS). It has been implemented, tested, and further developed by SUMH in cooperation with the municipalities of Aarhus, Frederiksberg, Fredericia, Solrød, Hillerød, Slagelse, Lolland, and Bornholm.

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