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Jobs for disabled: National Plan to be launched this week
View(s):Words are to be turned into action with regard to providing jobs to persons with disabilities, when the ‘National Plan’ is launched on Tuesday (July 30), along with an ‘online database’ to register them.
Having the responsibility of implementing the National Plan of Action 2013-2017, a National Secretariat is to be set up under the purview of Labour and Employment Relations Minister Gamini Lokuge, to ensure the provision of jobs for disabled persons, the Sunday Times understands. Currently the Labour Ministry does not have a mechanism to adopt and implement the National Plan of Action.
Functioning under the Labour Ministry, the National Secretariat will work with all stakeholders, it is learnt. The development of job-seeking skills such as writing of curriculum vitae, scanning newspapers for vacancies, filling-in application forms, enhancing telephone and letter writing skills and taking in their stride and performing well at job-interviews are also part of a Strategic Framework which forms the National Plan.
Another strategy laid down in black and white is the compilation and sharing of information on persons with disabilities who seek wage employment. Their needs such as interests and goals, skills, talents, motivation and forms of support like family and required training related to wage employment will also be assessed.
These measures are intended to capture current and complete data on persons with disabilities and in turn enable them to obtain and retain wage employment. There would also be special emphasis on enabling women with disabilities to overcome the barriers which prevent them from obtaining gainful employment.
The National Plan was necessitated by the fact that even though a Cabinet memorandum of 2004 made it mandatory for the public, private and corporation sectors to reserve at least 3% of their jobs for persons with disabilities, the reality was far off the mark, the Sunday Times understands.
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