Innovative Practice 2017 on Employment, Work and Vocational Education and Training
Full-time, unlimited jobs in facility management
Name of Innovative Practice: | Full-time, unlimited jobs in facility management |
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Organisation: | Chance B – Hausmasters Dienstleistungs GmbH |
Country of Implementation | Austria |
PROBLEMS TARGETED
Even if persons with disabilities manage to find a job in the open labour market, in many cases they drop out again very soon. This is mostly due to a lack of personal and individualized support at the workplace and beyond.
SOLUTION & METHODOLOGY
Chance B offers supported employment for people with disabilities and other socially marginalized groups. Most of its clients have had frustrating work experiences, often feeling neglected and suffering from low self-esteem. Chance B returns them to mainstream society by helping them to reintegrate into the open labour market.
Support for these employees includes ensuring that their work environment has made the necessary adjustments to accommodate their particular needs. Jobs are primarily in the area of facility management, including gardening, cleaning, and work in repair shops. Chance B started with a trial programme in 1999 and has since created more than 70 jobs, 59 of them for people with disabilities. All positions are open employment contracts without time limit and at market rate salaries, providing genuine security for the employee.

OUTLOOK & TRANSFERABILITY
Hausmasters Dienstleistungs GmbH had a budget of €2.3 million in 2015, €1.8 million of which was generated through its activities, while the other €500,000 were generated mainly by wage subsidies from the federal government. In Austria, these wage subsidies are individual rights of persons with disabilities and are therefore available for every company in the first labour market and are not restricted to social service providers. These public funds cover the costs of the programme’s social workers, who are crucial for the success of the model.