Educational professionalism for work inclusion: pedagogical competencies and transformative projects in the workplace

Abstract

This article analyses the most common professions involved in the workplace inclusion of people with disabilities, focusing on the educational and pedagogical characteristics of these roles. Presenting the disability manager, the disability job supporter, those responsible for job placements and the educator from a pedagogical perspective allows the authors to highlight how these professions – which operate in complex and constantly changing contexts such as the world of work – require skills in listening, observation, mediation and the construction of internal and external collaborative networks. The disability manager emerges as a strategic figure, promoting an inclusive culture and fair organisational processes, while the disability job supporter acts in an operational capacity to accompany the person with disabilities on their path to job placement and adaptation. The educator, also presented in their key role within the first quality certification for workplace integration processes in Italy, “P.E.E.P.I.”, takes on a relational and educational leadership role, aimed at enhancing the potential of each individual and building accessible, sustainable and generative work environments. This contribution offers a reflection on educational professionals as agents of change, capable of transforming workplace inclusion into an experience of personal and social growth.