- On 24 September 2025, the final workshop of the European project Orient2Work: Activities of Orientation to Support the Access of Vulnerable Women into the Labour Market was held in Seville, with the participation of partners from Italy, France, Turkey, and Spain (COCEMFE Seville). The aim was to validate the Orient2Work manual with experts, gather final contributions, and define the project’s next steps, including its edition, digitalisation, and specialised training.
The Provincial Federation of Associations of People with Physical and Organic Disabilities of Seville, COCEMFE Seville, played a key role in the third and final session of the Orient2Work professional workshop, held on 24 September 2025. Staff from the various international partners took part in this session, together with invited experts and our provincial entity’s technicians, Mª José Espinosa and Mamen Gómez, who contributed crucial insights for improving and adapting the manual that guides the programme’s methodology.
This workshop did not aim to create new content, as in previous sessions, but rather to secure the final validation of the already completed manual. Its structure, methodology, and contents were presented, and each partner shared the results of the pilot tests, the adaptations made, and their immediate plans to implement the Orient2Work methodology in their respective contexts.
COCEMFE Seville particularly highlighted:
- The positive impact of systematising professional guidance work, especially in the case of itinerant counsellors;
- The importance of continuous staff training to ensure quality and adaptability;
- The need for flexibility in the manual to accommodate the diversity of users, a point supported by the invited experts and endorsed by the other partners.
It is important to recall that the objectives of the Orient2Work programme are to establish a collaborative network to improve the effectiveness of guidance activities as a tool to facilitate vulnerable women’s access to the labour market, as well as to design and test training tools and shared methodological materials. These include a guidance manual, guidelines for guidance pathways, and adaptations to meet the specific needs of the target group. The programme also foresees both face-to-face and virtual activities, fostering inclusion, overcoming cultural, social, and disability-related barriers, while also taking into account sustainability (environmental impact and carbon footprint). Finally, pilot tests will be conducted in partner countries to refine and adapt the methodology to local contexts, with special attention to access to employment for vulnerable women.
Following this final workshop, the project enters a new stage in which the conclusions and contributions of the experts will be incorporated into the Orient2Work manual. The idea is to enrich the tool with greater flexibility, enabling its adaptation to the diversity of profiles and contexts in which guidance work is carried out.
Once these improvements are introduced, the manual will be edited in its final version and is expected to be published in the coming months. To enhance accessibility and wider dissemination, a digitalisation process will also be undertaken, allowing professionals and organisations to access this resource easily and practically.
At the same time, national training sessions and workshops on the Orient2Work methodology will be launched. These activities will be aimed at specific groups such as women with disabilities, migrant women, or those living in vulnerable situations in rural environments, with the goal of ensuring that the methodology can be effectively applied in highly diverse realities.
The debate also turned to the use of artificial intelligence as a support tool in guidance processes. While its potential was acknowledged, experts agreed that it cannot replace the empathy and professional skills of counsellors, particularly in a field so closely linked to understanding human complexity. In this respect, emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen the training of guidance staff and on the importance of urging public administrations to allocate more resources to guarantee a quality service reaching everyone, especially those with fewer digital skills or facing greater vulnerability.
COCEMFE Seville reaffirms its strong commitment to defending the rights of people with disabilities in Seville and its province, working every day to ensure equal opportunities, real access to employment, and inclusion in all areas of life. We believe that career guidance is an essential pillar to ensure that no vulnerable woman is left behind, and we will continue to promote initiatives such as Orient2Work to turn this conviction into effective action.
