For more than 30 years, Atelier Groot Eiland has been committed to giving as many people as possible a chance on the labour market. The aim is to increase their opportunity of starting a vocational training course resulting in a qualification and of successfully applying for a paid, decent job, with a view to eventual (re)integration in the regular employment circuit. In addition, Atelier Groot Eiland can also serve as a professional orientation and redynamisation tool for employees. Atelier Groot Eiland focuses on people who are seriously distanced from the labour market, the underprivileged, the long-term unemployed and the low-skilled in Brussels. Potential employees are referred to Atelier Groot Eiland via the VDAB, the Brussels employment service Actiris or the OCMW. After a standard training or work experience programme lasting eight months, they leave the atelier and can move on to a vocational training course that ends in a qualification, a social workplace or the regular labour market. Atelier Groot Eiland also offers employment support for people who cannot, are not yet able to or can no longer be employed in the paid labour market due to medical, mental, psychiatric, social or multiple problems.
The organisation operates from Molenbeek, the commune with the second lowest average income in Belgium. Its aim is to respond directly to the high rates of unemployment and poverty suffered by many Molenbeek families, by offering work experience, by increasing the visibility of the neighbourhood through local tourism, and by representing the Molenbeek population vis-à-vis the municipal administration. Atelier Groot Eiland consists of several projects that work as mini-companies. The Bel Mundo and RestoBEL restaurants, the Bel'O sandwich shop, the Klimop carpentry shop, the Bel Akker urban vegetable gardens and pick-your-own farms, The Food Hub organic shop, the creative workshop and the bakery of ArtiZan, each have their own employees and customers, and thus respond to the needs of different neighbourhoods in Brussels. Atelier Groot Eiland works closely with other partners in the welfare, training and employment sector and therefore benefits from a strong local network.
The team at Atelier Groot Eiland offers a sustainable learning environment. They combine ecology, short-chain and organic food production with the social economy and community involvement. In addition, they focus on the importance of solidarity and social neighbourhood dynamics, accessibility and affordability, both for employees and customers. This enables Atelier Groot Eiland to offer an alternative future for the urban labour market.