At a Glance
Location: Romania
Impact Areas: Employment Generation, Placement
People Supported:
Youth at risk, People with Disabilities, Ethnic Minorities, Migrants, Refugees
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2023
Overview
Romania has the lowest employment rate of persons with severe disabilities among all EU countries. Founded in 2008 to fight these inequalities and promote social inclusion in the job market, UtilDeco is one of the largest work integration enterprises in Romania.
To support its mission, the social enterprise runs a high-impact insertion program with personalized career guidance and on-the-job training across its diverse business lines, which include archiving, production of textile protection equipment, coffee roasting, and digital printing.
UtilDeco provides tailored career training to people with disabilities, individuals coming from the child protection system, ethnic groups, and migrants – helping them to build confidence and improve financial stability. The enterprise takes a comprehensive approach to training by identifying the unique skill sets of each individual and cultivating those talents before matching candidates with potential employers.
Through its placement service, UtilDeco has helped over 150 excluded people to get trained and find a job on the open market. After the war broke out in Ukraine, UtilDeco has broadened its comprehensive employment services to support refugees.
Results & Impact
150+
people with disabilities and from other excluded groups trained
10
internal jobs for refugees by 2027
90
refugees placed in the open market by 2027
“At UtilDeco, each person is unique, and we try to make the most of their potential. After carefully counseling and assessing their work capacity, we try to find the most suitable place in our workshops that best meets their professional growth needs.”
NESsT Investment
With NESsT’s support, UtilDeco will implement a new refugee-first employment placement program. By focusing on identifying and developing people’s skills through vocational testing and tailored job coaching services, UtilDeco plans to place over 90 refugees in the open labor market. The professional training program also aims to equip refugees with invaluable, transferable skills in the event they can return to their home countries.
In addition, NESsT’s investment in the form of a recoverable grant will support UtilDeco in expanding its OPYA Coffee Roastery with new premises and products. The increase in capacity of its coffee business line will allow for up to three refugees to be hired every year over the next five years.