VIP-TECH-JOB: Time 2 Act! is an Erasmus+ project in the field of YOUTH. Its focus is the employability of visually impaired young adults, through a series of awareness-raising and educational activities.
We are currently going through the last semester of the project, having accumulated many experiences and feedback from the people involved, and we are looking forward to sharing them with all of you!
We are starting by reporting on what happened the last few months, offering some insight into the status of the project’s results and ending with the upcoming activities!
VIP – Tech Fair, Granada: 5th – 9th July 2022
One of the greatest milestones of the project was finally reached with the implementation of the VIP Job Fair, a 5-day all-encompassing activity where a diverse group of young visually impaired job seekers and their accompanying persons (and loyal service dogs!) along with educators, employment counsellors and youth workers, discussed on the issues of employment, accessibility/universal access, perceptions and misconceptions, independence and over-achievements.
The activity was an enriching experience, where participants were actively involved in all sessions. Attendants worked on the results of the previous project (VIP-TECH-JOB), and also contributed greatly to the assessment of the current results, such as the curriculum, the podcast, the documentary and video pack, as well as the website. During the sessions, all project products were piloted and checked if they are accessible.
There were very interesting discussions and interventions that took place during the activity, many of which you will be able to experience in our upcoming documentary!
VTJ2 @EDULEARN22
During the VIP-Tech Fair in Granada, the project coordinator Anca David (VIEWS International AISBL) participated virtually at the EDULEARN22 conference.
At the event, the coordinator did not only present the project, but she also introduced the article “ Recognising Possibilities Through the VIP-Tech-Job: Time 2 Act! Project Results: Visually Impaired People, Workplace Training and the Enrichment of the Current Labor Market”.
The latter offers a good perspective into the working method of the project and its context findings in the partner countries.
You can read the abstract of our article through the IATED Digital Library (https://library.iated.org/view/GIANNAKOPOULOU2022REC), whereas the entire article will be available on our website in the upcoming months.
Partners’ meeting in Athens!
In September, the project partners met again face-to-face in Athens (Greece) from 21st to 22nd September. Partners originally planned to meet in Patras, but due to the unfortunate difficulty in reaching the city directly through the airport the meeting was unanimously decided to take place in the Greek capital. Luckily, the KEAT (Center for Education & Rehabilitation) offered their warm welcome and hosted them during the event. For their hospitality, the project members are grateful: we thank all the KEAT staff for their support and work!
The meeting in Athens took place after the VIP-Tech Fair in Granada. It was a very fruitful and rewarding meeting, since everyone present got to experience the concrete project’s results after one year and a half of work. Despite minor adjustments, most of the work is completed and ready to be shared with everyone!
Online in one place!
The project website launch was the main achievement of the last few months. It acts as a point of reference – a hub – that offers a systematic exhibition of the results from both projects: VIP-TECH-JOB and VTJ2. We invite you to follow our developments and to use our contact form for your comments and recommendations!
Our website is fully accessible and readable for desktop and mobile as it was user tested during the VIP-Tech Fair.
The website includes the completed results from VIP-TECH-JOB project, the new Toolbox and the VIP-Tech Guide. In addition, there is a presentation of the project and partners, the activity plan and photos from the VIP-Tech Fair.
The plans for the future updates include: VIP Job Podcast, VIP Job Video Pack, our newsletters, EDULEARN22 article and information and photos on our upcoming events.
Stay tuned: https://www.viptechjob.eu/index.php/
Status of results
The project foresees the development of three distinct results:
- “VIP Job Accessibility Toolbox” – a hub of tools and resources for all to help understand and implement accessibility practices and inclusion in the workplace.
- “VIP Job Podcast” – a series of audio broadcasts in all partners’ languages, including information on job seeking, employability and interviews with young VIPs on existing accessible practices.
- “VIP Job Video Pack” – a guide for video CVs and a documentary on the process of job hunting, the experience of being a VIP in an inaccessible world and the ideas for more inclusive future.
The Toolbox is now online and can be accessed through our website or directly on: https://toolbox.viptechjob.eu/. In the next weeks, the Toolbox will be available in all partners’ languages as well!
In addition, we invite you to listen to our VIP Job Podcast that is now complete. It offers numerous episodes focusing on the employment of young VIPs in Europe. They can help you prepare for a job-seeking process with some tips and trick. Moreover, you might want to hear some motivational stories connected to the job market. The episodes are available in English, Greek, French, Italian and Spanish on our website and all major podcast platforms.
The Guide for video CVs is available on our website and on the Toolbox platform. You can check out the proposed steps, as tried and adapted during the pilot phase in the VIP-Tech Fair.
The documentary is about to be ready, pending only the audio description of the few purely visual shots and it will be available by the beginning of November on our YouTube channel (embedded to the website and the Toolbox). Do subscribe to be instantly informed of the new content!
Stay up-to-date with our work through our
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/viptechjob.
Special announcement!
Soon you can expect the dates and invitation to our final promotional events, where all project results will be presented!
The local events will be organised in Granada (ES), Pisa (IT), Patras/Thessaloniki (EL) and an additional international conference in Brussels (in English and French). If you are active in the field of inclusion and would like to participate, please, contact us to receive further information through the website or the partner organisation in your country. Hurry up as seats are limited!
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