New Spirit – how to provide for improved understanding and interaction between company managers and young adult employees via new work styles

The general goal of New Spirit was to explore opportunities via transnational cooperation to support and improve the way adult education engaged with mentally disadvantaged young learners and comp...

The general goal of New Spirit was to explore opportunities via transnational cooperation to support and improve the way adult education engaged with mentally disadvantaged young learners and companies. Their role as facilitators and mediators between these latter two groups was essential to bridge the gap. We wanted to equip 20 key players from the three target groups in the Netherlands and Austria with relevant pedagogical expertise and with systemic and narrative awareness, competences and skills, so the collaboration between these groups would improve in a healthier way and there would be an increasing employability and a smoother transition between the worldview of the young adults with special needs, educational staff and of the business representatives. To achieve these aims we wanted to develop a 'New Spirit' way of working elaborated in a conceptual handbook, a toolbox and a training programm, which the key players could 'use' in their own trainings, teamwork and work processes. With these outputs our target groups would have instruments to: analyse company situations, establish inspiring networks, analyse solution models, negotiate training/work conditions and new work styles and define an inclusive collaboration.