What is a Special Employment Center? Characteristics and functions

These organizations are dedicated to promoting the labor insertion of groups with disabilities.

Special Employment Centers (CEE), also called Special Work Centers (CET), are companies that aim to promote the labor integration of people with disabilities.are companies whose objective is to promote the labor integration of people with disabilities. That is to say, companies where most of their workers have some kind of disability.

In this type of centers is the figure of the psychologist. In this article, we will learn about some of their functions, the characteristics of EWCs, how they work and what types of services they offer. In addition, we will explain the different types of disabilities of the people who work there.

What is a Special Employment Center?

What is a Special Employment Center? A Special Employment Center (CEE), also known as a CET (Centro Especial de Trabajo), is a company that hires people with some type of disability.. The disability can be of any type (sensory, physical, mental and intellectual), depending on the type of work and the tasks and functions involved.

Thus, Special Employment Centers are a fundamental source of recruitment and professional development for people with disabilities. Their objective is to provide workers with disabilities with productive and remunerative work, depending on the type of work and the tasks and functions it entails. productive and remunerated work, appropriate to their personal characteristics and which facilitates their integration into the ordinary labor market. into the ordinary labor market.

Characteristics

Special Employment Centers are part of the protected labor market, that is to say, a type of market where positions are offered to socially vulnerable groups.The workforce is made up of people with disabilities, as in this case the group of people with some type of disability.

The worker who joins a CEE or CET must have an official certificate of disability, with a minimum degree of 33%; however, there is a small part of the workforce for people without disabilities, as we will explain later.

The CEE or CET were created in Spain by the Law for the Social Integration of the Disabled, now called the General Disability Law..

Functioning of a Special Employment Center

To understand what a Special Employment Center is, it is important to understand how it works. Normally in the Special Employment Centers there are other external companies that contract the services of the CEE; for example, a company that has as a product packs of tobacco with its lighter and filters included, contracts the services of the CEE to manufacture these products.

EWC Services

Generally, an EWC or EWC includes a number of standard services. Generally, these are as follows: gardening, maintenance, cleaning, janitorial and administration.. In other words, the professionals with disabilities who will work there will be trained (and/or have experience) in these fields.

Who works in a Special Employment Center?

Apart from the workers with disabilities (for example, cleaning, gardening, maintenance, janitorial, etc.), in the Special Employment Centers there are also workers who are part of the USAP team (Support Unit for Professional Attention).

The USAP team is usually made up of psychologists and social workers.and is responsible for providing support and advice. On the other hand, there are also supervisors of the different services, coordinators, governors, administrative staff, etc.; these workers may or may not have a disability.

Professionals with disabilities

Now that we understand a little more about what a Special Employment Center is, we can begin to locate its professionals with disabilities.

The term "disability", according to the WHO (World Health Organization), is a general concept that encompasses a person's impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. But what does it all mean? Impairments cover bodily functions, activity limitations are difficulties in executing certain tasks, and participation restrictions involve problems participating in life situations.

Types of disability

People with disabilities who work in an EWC, have a minimum degree of disability of 33%.. Disability can be of different types:

1. Sensory disability

Affects one (or more) of the sensory modalities: visual (blindness, malignant myopia,...), auditory (deafness),...

2. Intellectual disability

It is the most frequent in Special Employment Centers. It involves deficits in intellectual or cognitive functioning.. The degrees of intellectual disability in these workers are usually light, mild or moderate. People with severe intellectual disabilities usually go to occupational centers (OC).

3. Physical disability

Involves a motor impairment; it is a condition that prevents or hinders a condition that prevents or hinders free movement, physical performance and/or movement of people. in people. Examples include spinal cord injury (paraplegia, tetraplegia, etc.), amputations, scoliosis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, etc.

4. Psychic disability

It implies the existence of a mental disorder or illness. The person presents disorders in the adaptive behavior, usually chronic. This would include cases of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, cyclothymic disorder, etc..

The figure of the psychologist in a EWC

Finally, to continue understanding what a Special Employment Center is, we must bear in mind that the figure of the psychologist exists within it. But, what functions does he/she perform? Basically, and broadly speaking, the psychologist of the USAP team (already mentioned) is in charge of a good follow-up of the workers, in all areas of their lives.

He/she evaluates the different spheres of the worker and participates in his/her well-being, both at work and outside of work. He/she is also in charge of the labor part.

At the follow-up level, the psychologist The PIIL (Programa Individual de Integración Laboral), a document for each worker with a series of objectives in the personal, work and interpersonal areas. personal, work and interpersonal relations. This document can be made jointly with the social worker and after an exhaustive follow-up interview with the worker.

Bibliographical references:

• Baker & McKenzie. (2018). The policies of labor insertion of people with disabilities through the sheltered labor market. Critical aspects for their maintenance and sustainable development. Executive summary, 2-10.
• Ministry of Labor, Migration and Social Security. (2018). Special Employment Centers. Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE).