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February 13, 2007
Social Firms
Have you ever heard of "Social Firms"?
Social firms are very different from sheltered workshops.
They see themselves as a part of the open labour market and they operate like any regular business. The only difference to a normal business is that their core mission is to employ people with disabilities.
It is a business, which uses its own market oriented production of goods and services to pursue its social mission.
A significant number of its employees will be people with disability or other disadvantage in the labour market.
Every worker will be paid a market wage or salary appropriate to the work- whatever their productive capacity.
Work opportunities should be between disadvantaged and non-disadvantage employees. All should have the same employment rights and obligations.
There are 3 core values that Social Firms will subscribe to within their businesses, orientated around Enterprise, Employment and Empowerment:
More detailed information can be obtained from the following webpages;
http://www.socialfirms.co.uk/index.php/Section2.html
CEFEC (Confederation of European Social Firms, Employment Initiatives and Social Co-operatives) http://www.cefec.de/activities.htm
Posted by jicafriends at February 13, 2007 01:25 PM