The Municipality of Goleniów started a project of establishing an Institution for Professional Activity (IPA) in Goleniów that could provide jobs for disabled people. Today they hardly stand a chance of finding employment themselves.
In Goleniów, we have a special school educating children and youth with various disabilities. Students acquire skills that enhance their opportunities to integrate with the rest of the society. The major issue today, it to maintain skills learned, develop them and find jobs, since the labour market focuses essentially on employing people that are fully fit. Creating jobs for people with disabilities require financial support and active approach of the local government. So far, in Goleniów there are no therapy workshops or a specialist company where people with disabilities could work.
In autumn, Robert Krupowicz, the Mayor, promised to parents with disabled children that an Institution for Professional Activity would be established. The first steps towards that goal have already been taken. The IPA is to be established in the Goleniów Industrial Park, and a relevant plot of land has been earmarked for the purpose. At the moment, consultations are in progress with managers of companies based in the GIP to determine job opportunities for people employed in the IPA. This should enable to define the profile of the company and recruitment of relevant people. A separate effort will be made to show parents with disabled children the idea of an IPA using examples of such entities operating in Stargard Szczeciński and Dobra.
The IPA should operate on a free market basis. Such entities, however, differ from other businesses that salaries of disabled people are guaranteed by the Disability Fund, and the IPA will receive funding needed for employing relevant staff (accounting, HR, manager, and caretakers). Disabled employees are required to participate in rehabilitation classes.