Hiring people with disabilities is possible and generates value for companies, both from a social and economic point of view, the Universidade Nova de Lisboa aims to demonstrate through the creation of a platform dedicated to promoting inclusive employability.
The platform, digital in nature, has been available since January 1st and was designed to “connect candidates with disabilities to the job market, through inclusive recruitment partners”.
The project is promoted by Nova SBE – previously known as the Faculty of Economics of Universidade Nova de Lisboa – through the Inclusive Community Forum (ICF), whose mission is to promote a more inclusive society.
A bridge between candidates, partners and companies
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the ICF project manager said that inclusive recruitment partners are organizations that support both people with disabilities and companies that want to recruit workers.
According to Frederico Oliveira Pinto, the platform already has the support of 18 partners, including recruitment and selection companies with “teams or people dedicated to inclusive recruitment”, but also “companies specialized in the inclusion of people with disabilities in the job market” or “social organizations dedicated to the lives of people with disabilities”.
“These partners provide support, on the one hand, to people with disabilities, in their preparation to enter the job market, in the search for job opportunities, in integration into the company and in monitoring the employee throughout their journey in the company”, explained the person in charge.
Raise market awareness and value inclusion
On the other hand, they provide support to potential employers, “by raising companies’ awareness of the topic, searching for talent for the vacancies they have open, preparing and raising awareness of the teams that will receive employees with disabilities, possible post-work adaptations that may be necessary and then also supporting companies throughout the journey of that employee with disabilities”.
Frederico Oliveira Pinto explained that at ICF they have been working “for a long time” with companies that want to recruit people with disabilities, currently 83, and that they realized at the beginning that “there was a great lack of knowledge about the value that people with disabilities can eventually bring to companies and the job market”.
“The market has been evolving a lot in recent years and (…) there are more companies showing that it is not only possible but also positive and brings value to companies [contratar pessoas com deficiência]not only from a social point of view but also from an economic point of view”, highlighted the person in charge.
The operation of the platform is accompanied by a national publicity campaign, which also started at the beginning of January, and which aims to reach all people with disabilities who are looking for work, but with a special focus on those “who are not yet in the job market circuit”.
Frederico Oliveira Pinto also said that the campaign will be available for six months, until June, also to “awaken Portuguese companies to the topic of recruiting people with disabilities, promoting greater knowledge on the topic and contact with partners”, which are “the gateway to inclusive recruitment”.
Also read:
