Kommunalservice Jena (KSJ) receives special prize for the integration of people with disabilities

The German Association of Local Utilities (VKU) has once again recognized outstanding projects and initiatives in the field of personnel recruitment as part of its two-year Waste Management and Urban Cleanliness 2024 creative competition. The VKU's creative competition aims to promote innovative and sustainable solutions to the challenges of waste management and urban cleanliness. The KSJ project stood out among the numerous entries.

Sabine Jahn, Managing Director of Saale-Betreuungswerk der Lebenshilfe Jena (SBW), sees the collaboration with KSJ primarily from the perspective of employees with disabilities: "Our employees feel comfortable, and visitors to the exchange house clearly notice that. We are delighted that they have been able to find such a working environment, because that is precisely one of our most important concerns: to create a workplace that meets the individual needs of each person."

"Standing still is a step backwards - this business principle also, or even more so, applies to municipal waste management. Anyone who claims to be a service provider for an entire urban society must recognize changes in demand and respond to them promptly. And in this context, the challenges must not only be reflected in the range of services offered, but also in the concept for service provision. Reuse and recycling have long been a requirement of society as a whole in terms of how citizens in our city see themselves. Integration and inclusion in equal measure",

says Uwe Feige, Plant Manager of KSJ.

For this reason, the KSJ has also launched another pilot project for recruiting staff with the expanded offer to exchange reusable consumer goods (Tauschhaus 2.0). People with disabilities are not only part of the workforce, but are also responsible for a range of services in the form of so-called company-integrated external jobs that are difficult to fill through conventional recruitment, e.g. in the areas of service, gardening or electronic waste. Twelve colleagues with disabilities are now working independently within the workforce. This concept ultimately convinced the jury.

The special VKU prize is not only a tribute to the commitment of Kommunalservice Jena, but also sets an important example for the entire industry. Inclusion and accessibility are increasingly being recognized as key aspects in the design of modern working environments. The VKU hopes that the award-winning project will serve as a model for other municipal service providers and inspire further innovative approaches to the integration of people with disabilities.

Facts and figures about the SBW

The SBW Jena has been in existence since 1992 and is made up of the following departments:

Occupational participation department

• Workshop with educational and work opportunities for 320 people with disabilities
• An additional 33 people in the support area and 16 participants in the vocational training area
• Work areas: Printing & paper, assembly, gardening and landscaping, vehicle cleaning, kitchen, file recycling, digital archiving

Housing department

• 112 residential places in homes in Jena-Ost, Winzerla, Lobeda-Ost and Kahla
• Cooperation with WG Carl Zeiss in the newly built "Erlenhöfe" area

Family department

• Support for 146 people with disabilities in outpatient services

Contacts

Municipal Service Jena
Martin Steglitz
Löbstedter Str. 56
07749 Jena

Phone: +493641/4989-251
E-mail: martin.steglitz@jena.de(link sends email)
www.ksj.(link is external) jena.de

Saale Betreuungswerk
of Lebenshilfe Jena gGmbH
Martina Heyder
Ernst-Haeckel-Platz 2
07745 Jena

Phone: +493641/4613-1005
E-mail: m.heyder@sbw-jena.de(link sends email)
www.sbw-jena.de(link is external)