QBS Gewerkstatt gGmbH, a non-profit company with limited liability, was founded in 1985 in Bochum to set up and carry out projects, aimed at combatting unemployment in our region. In the last 30 years, the Ruhr area, Germany’s former heart of industrial production, has had to deal with structural economic changes. In line with this, in the beginning, Gewerkstatt offered vocational training and education courses in various professions for young unemployed persons. The main target was to create entrepreneurship skills. Furthermore, in order to give these young people an opportunity to enter the job market; we started up various small businesses where the participants could work after the training courses, e.g. Chrysler dealer in Bochum, Neon-glass-blow Company in Essen, Electric installation enterprise and, lastly, the Restaurant Henrichs in Hattingen in 2004. The main concentration and field of action for our vocational training and education programs has been the service sector. Therefore, we set up a Conference Centre (BOGATA) and a guesthouse (58 beds) which also offer practical training facilities. Since 1985, over 2500 participants have joined in our various courses on vocational training or in related projects.
"Ploes" E.Psy.Me. (Psycho-Social Research Organization) is a Non-Governmental Organization, founded in 1998, by mental health professionals from different scientific sectors and training fields. Now, more than 100 people are employed in all of its projects. Mental health professionals, social workers, occupational and speech therapists, special education professionals, child psychiatrists, psychologists, are under the umbrella of E.Psy.Me. The ongoing projects and services are addressed to citizens affected by autism spectrum disorders, mental and psychiatric disabilities, in the urban environment of Piraeus and surrounding suburbs, (region of Attica). "Ploes" E.Psy.Me. is committed to tackling social exclusion by enhancing service users' social and mental wellbeing. Our services are based on the principles of social psychiatry, which consider mental disabilities as a phenomenon of multiple and complicated factors. It is our strong belief that negative current and future consequences can be limited by using constant, appropriate and effective scientific methods of prevention and intervention.
ARCIL is a not-for-profit organization from the central region of Portugal (district of Coimbra), working in the field of disability and inclusion for 45 years. With its large structure ARCIL supports approximately 1000 individuals with different types of disability yearly, throughout different stages of their lives; from childhood to adulthood. In its team, ARCIL has around 300 staff members, in which over 50 have some type of disability or impairment. ARCIL has various rehabilitation and habilitation services, namely early intervention support to children and families, Inclusive Education project, vocational and professional training for people with disability, occupational centres for adults with moderate to profound intellectual disability, protected employment social businesses, labour market integration services, residential support for individuals and families with disability and home support to implement independent living in the community. It is also an organization that has been pioneering in the delivery of innovative training in its field, as well as cooperating with universities in diverse projects, research activities, internships, professional training and development in the fields of Education/Pedagogy, Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychology, Social Service, Inclusive Employment and Vocational Training.
Cyprus Certification Company (CCC) is a government-owned Certification Organization founded in 2001 and operating as a private company with the Government being its only shareholder and it is managed by a 7-member Board. CCC operates in the field of certification of management systems(eg ISO 9001. ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 22000 ets), certification of training programs and training and exam centers, inspection of playgrounds and playground equipment, inspection of lifts, product certification, CE marking, certification of persons etc. CCC also operates a training center approved by the relevant government body (the Human Resource Development Authority - HRDA) and provides training in relevant to its services subjects, and also in specialized areas as those arise from the industry’s needs. CCC implements a Quality Management System in accordance with the requirements of CYS EN ISO/ IEC 17021, CYS EN ISO/ IEC 17020 and CYS EN 17065. This is accredited by the Hellenic Accreditation System S.A (ESYD) and notified by the Cyprus Organization for the Promotion of Quality (CYSAB). CCC is a member of the International Quality Network (IQNet), and all certified by CCC companies also obtain an IQNet Certificate.
Founded in 1985, Omega Technology is an experienced and well known IT provider company in Greece. The Company serves Greek public bodies, enterprises and other organizations with technology and services made possible by its 34 years of experience. Its solutions include e-learning, virtual reality applications, assisted living solutions, tailor-made applications for people with disabilities, as well as e-commerce applications, document and knowledge management systems. The company is also offering a broad range of management and services including consulting, research and development, digitization, annotation and preservation of content, hardware supply and technical support. The company’s research department is active in the R&D arena, in close cooperation with Academia and Research Institutes, running several R&D projects and market validation projects.
EASPD, a non-profit NGO in the disability sector, promotes the views of over 20,000 social services and their umbrella associations. We promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities through effective and high-quality service systems.
Our Vision
We believe that support services play a key role in enabling people to enjoy their human rights on an equal basis, beyond disability or any other factor. It is precisely this belief that guides our work in Brussels, Strasbourg and throughout Europe.
Our Objectives
- The full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- The provision of high-quality, and user-centred services running in an accountable, efficient and effective way.
- Fair working conditions and lifelong learning opportunities for staff employed in services.