LaFact
Founded in 1971 and based in Terrassa (Catalonia), LaFACT is a social enterprise whose mission is to promote the social and labour inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The organisation provides personalised pathways and long-term, holistic support. Today, LaFACT supports more than 600 people with intellectual disabilities.
LaFACT – La Factoria Social de Terrassa – is coordinating a European project aimed at fostering the labour market inclusion of people who have been long-term unemployed. The initiative, funded with more than €3.7 million from the European Social Fund, will run for three years (until 2028) and brings together companies and organisations from Catalonia and several other European countries.
The project, entitled A.LL.D. Project: Enrichment, Transfer and Scale-Up of an Innovative Labour Insertion Model, focuses on improving employability and creating job opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mental health conditions. Its goal is to develop a methodology that delivers locally tailored solutions through a collaborative approach involving public administrations, companies, universities and social economy organisations.
Within the framework of the project, 175 people will receive direct support, and at least 83 participants are expected to be hired in the open labour market. In addition, the consortium will develop an open-access interactive digital tool to support labour inclusion processes.
The project has received support from ACCIÓ – the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Ministry of Business and Labour (Government of Catalonia) through several services: European R&D&I support for companies, the International Social Economy service, and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). This support has included guidance on accessing European funding and specialised legal advice for reviewing the consortium agreement.
Alongside LaFACT, the consortium includes several Catalan partners: Tandem Social (a consultancy specialised in social projects), Foment de Terrassa, the Terrassa Chamber of Commerce, and Pompeu Fabra University. The project also involves partners from Italy, Greece and Romania, bringing together a total of twelve organisations.
The official project kick-off meeting will take place this October in Iași, Romania, where partners will establish a shared vision, coordinate initial activities and strengthen cooperation mechanisms. During the meeting, LaFACT will present the project’s coordination, monitoring and evaluation framework and outline the first implementation phases, laying the groundwork for a tangible European-level impact on labour inclusion.