IPSI project

Creating Inclusive Workplaces for Everyone

The IPSI project supports LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace by empowering HR professionals and career counselors with the skills to promote diversity and equal opportunities. Together with partners from the Netherlands, Italy, and the Czech Republic, the project offers specialized online training (MOOC), connects job centers with LGBTQIA+ organizations, and integrates inclusive practices into career guidance and HR policies. ur goal is to make inclusion a lasting part of employment services—ensuring that every workplace is welcoming, respectful, and open to all.

IPSI Project Partners Meet in Sunny Pesaro to Focus on Inclusion and Equal Opportunities in the Workplace

Last week, an international meeting of IPSI project partners took place in the Italian city of Pesaro. Representatives of organizations from Italy, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic came together for a joint training session to share experiences and strengthen their competencies in diversity, equality, and inclusion in the workplace.
The main objective of the meeting was to provide education and practical training focused on supporting the LGBTQ+ community in professional environments. Participants gained a deeper understanding of the correct use of terminology related to LGBTQ+ topics and discussed ways to foster respectful, open, and inclusive communication in the workplace.
A significant part of the programme was dedicated to discussions on different forms of discrimination. The partners explored the distinctions between direct and indirect discrimination and also addressed the issue of workplace harassment. Through practical examples drawn from real-life workplace situations, they analysed challenges that both employees and employers may encounter and identified effective ways to prevent them.

What does LGBTQIA+ mean?

Each letter in this abbreviation stands for something different, and together they represent the diversity of people. Here is a simple explanation:

L stands for lesbians: women who fall in love with other women.
G stands for gay: men who fall in love with other men.
B stands for bisexual: people who can fall in love with both men and women.
T stands for transgender: people whose gender (the sex they were assigned at birth) does not match the gender they feel they are.
Q stands for queer: a general term for people who do not want to be categorized by traditional ideas of gender and sexuality.
I stands for intersex: people who are born with physical characteristics that cannot be clearly classified as male or female.
A stands for asexual: people who have little or no interest in sexual relationships.

Kick-off of the IPSI Project

On 9 November, the international partners of the new IPSI project — Inclusive Pathways: Strengthening Intermediaries to Support LGBTQIA+ Employees and Job Seekers — gathered in Eindhoven for the official kick-off meeting.