The Confederation of Employers of Ukraine is creating an advisory business system to promote employment of persons with disabilities. The system includes practical guides: on employment of persons with disabilities, on development of a policy on the creation of conditions for hiring of persons with disabilities and integration of such people in work teams, as well as a service on development of a workplace inclusion policy. A pilot training took place on 4 and 7 July concerning the workplace inclusion policy development and the implementation of an internal corporate policy on integration of persons with disabilities. The training was attended by specialists such businesses as Avrora, Kernel, Ukrainian Railways, Kyivstar, Epicentr, Pivdennyi, Chernihivavtoservis and others.

The inclusion policy development service will be available to members of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine, participants of the Razom national network, and other enterprises very soon.

“During the training enterprise heads and HR experts were given practical advice concerning the creation of an inclusive environment at an enterprise and learned more about the state support of employers for job placement of persons with disabilities as well as about responsibility for violation of the relevant legislation. Special attention is paid to barriers, challenges, stereotypes and prejudices encountered by employers during job placement of persons with disabilities and creation of an inclusive environment”, Oksana Medvedska said.

As she pointed out, understanding of the issue concerning employment of persons with disabilities has transformed from ensuring social justice and equality of rights into a reasonable strategic investment that brings tangible economic and competitive advantages to any enterprise. Ukraine is shifting from the model of assistance towards the model of investing into talent.

The training considers in detail the mechanisms of state support for employers during workplace adaptation for persons with disabilities, most common practices of preparing a work team to new employees with disabilities, and detailed recommendations on the formulation and implementation of a unified policy.

The training has been developed by the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine within the framework of the project "Establishing a consultative system for the integration of persons with disabilities into the workplace". This project is implemented with the support of the International Labour Organization’s initiative funded by the Government of Belgium, titled "ILO Support to Ukraine: prevention of labour exploitation and human trafficking, support to entrepreneurship development and social partners" as well as the ILO RBSA project "Promoting inclusive and sustainable reconstruction in Ukraine".