This target group includes employers and young people with autism. We will connect them in the same activity and with the common goal of creating such a supportive environment that we can successfully implement pilot employment. Both stakeholders will receive support before and during employment. These two target groups are chosen for a reason, because we believe that the ultimate goal of any education for young people is the ability to live independently and enter the labour market. Employers are a key target group in the project, as we will offer them education in the field of autism and develop a model of support in the employment of people with autism. An adapted work environment is an extremely important factor in the employment of people with autism.
The specifics of people with autism dictate special attention when adapting to the workplace. People with autism are distinguished by qualities such as hard work, accuracy, loyalty, belonging and a high level of motivation to do a certain job, especially if it is related to the special potential that a person with autism has. By hiring a person with autism, an employer can gain a valuable colleague in their midst, who may not be able to retain employment due to their specific needs if the workplace is not adapted.
These adjustments usually do not require large interventions and, consequently, no financial costs. We estimate that employers will receive knowledge on how to provide a person with autism with an adapted workplace at our training. Valuable experience for them will be the use of an effective model of employer support in the employment of people with autism, which we will develop in this project. To develop the model in the best possible way, we will first invite employers to participate in a survey on the needs they have when hiring people with autism. Greater employability of people with autism means an important step towards social inclusion, autonomy, and independence of young people with autism. Through the project, employers will acquire special skills and be trained to become autism-friendly employers that will provide the conditions for successful employment.