Highlights from the second ASEE Breakfast Meeting
What does it take for more employers to hire people with disabilities, and how can supported employment professionals help? At our second Breakfast Meeting, members heard how the Business Engagement Odyssey (BEO) project, a two-year Erasmus+ initiative, is tackling this question across Europe.
The big picture
BEO aims to promote employment for people with disabilities by strengthening Supported Employment professionals’ skills, especially when working with employers. The project runs in five countries (Belgium, the United Kingdom, Romania, Portugal and Slovenia) alongside ASEE. Each stage builds on the one before.
What professionals told us
The project began by asking those on the front line. 174 Supported Employment professionals from 16 countries completed a questionnaire.
- Employers are already engaged. They cooperate through recruitment, workplace adaptations, networking and disability awareness activities.
- Employers want to do more. They see room to improve internal policies, pre-employment processes and website accessibility, and are interested in practical support such as incentives and training materials.
- Professionals are seen as key facilitators, but over half reported low confidence in working with employers.
The skills most needed combine general abilities (communication, relationship-building, networking, problem-solving) with supported employment expertise (inclusive recruitment, job carving, workplace adaptation and follow-up support).
The conclusion was clear: a dedicated, structured training programme on Employer Engagement was needed.
From findings to training
Based on this analysis and on good practices already in use, a European-level training package was developed. A “train-the-trainer” session in Romania gave participants a baseline understanding of Employer Engagement and, just as importantly, the confidence to take ownership of it. Feedback from that session has been built into the materials, which will now be piloted across partner countries.
38 good practices from a World Café
In May 2025, 9 employers and 15 supported employment professionals met in Lisbon for a World Café, an informal format built on open conversation. Together they identified 38 good practices, focusing on ideas with high impact and low effort to implement. These are being turned into a Good Practice Guide and infographics.
Making sure results get used
The project’s communication plan has one goal: making sure the results are used, not left on a shelf. Partners are producing branded materials and leaflets, adapting them into several languages, and sharing them through national events and networks.
Want to know more?
If you would like to receive the presentation or learn more about the project, get in touch with the ASEE team. We will keep you updated as the training package and Good Practice Guide become available.