“Workshops for adapted work are and remain indispensable for the participation of persons with dis-abilities in working life! They provide vocational training and employment for more than 280,000 persons, for whom the general labour market does not offer this possibility”, said Christine Hader-thauer, the Bavarian Social Minister, in her speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Workshop Fair Werkstätten:Messe 2010.

According to Haderthauer, the Werkstätten:Messe demonstrates this in an impressive way. It shows, what persons with disabilities can achieve. “External work places strengthen the right of self-determination of workshop employees and help to open workshops more to society. That is Bavaria we have set up the programme ‘Werkstatt Inklusiv’. This programme is provided with 1.8 million Eu-ros”, explained Haderhauer at the end of her speech.

The programme ‘Werkstatt Inklusiv’ of the Bavarian State Ministry for Employment and Social Af-fairs starts in March 2010 and lasts until 2012. Workshops that set up new individual external work places in companies of the so-called general labour market will receive 3,000 Euros as a bonus for each new created place.

The Werkstätten:Messe from 11th until 14th of March takes place for the twenty-forth time. It is the biggest fair in this field in Germany as well as at the international level. Almost 250 exhibitors from Germany and abroad present their products and services for persons with disabilities as well as ser-vices on every aspect of work in workshops for adapted work.