Transitions from Sheltered Workshops to the Open Labour Market
Since the reforms of the UN-CRPD and the ‘Bundesteilhabegesetz’ demand the establishment of an inclusive labour market, sheltered workshops for people with disabilities in Germany are increasingly confronted with the request to actively support their employees’ transitions to the open labour market. To fulfill this requirement, many sheltered workshops cooperate with integrational services, which are specialized in creating regular employment for people with disabilities.
This article presents the findings of a qualitative study on the subject of cooperation between sheltered workshops and integrational services in order to promote their employees’ transitions to the open labour market. Through expert interviews with professionals of both institutions, the prototypical transition process was reconstructed.
Additionally, three interacting areas of influence were identified:
- Firstly, aspects of the organizational structure influence transition processes, e. g. conflicting aims or communication structures.
- Secondly, interactions between the involved persons and the relationship between clients and professionals have an impact.
- Environmental factors, like sociopolitical and legislative conditions and the willingness of employers to employ former workshop employees could be identified as a third influencing area.
