Access to professional training for persons with disability - January 28, 2007

The KNPD, UoM and MCAST have teamed up in an international project to make it easier for persons with disability, and other socially disadvantaged groups, to take up University and third level studies.

The National Commission for Persons with Disability, togther with the University and MCAST are co-operating in "APT-Leonardo - Access to Professional Training for Persons with Disability", a project funded by the EU programme Leonardo da Vinci.

The project aims to encourage and support disabled persons to undertake university and third level courses in social work, social policy, youth studies and social care; develop a learning approach which will serve as a model of good practice; and enable the provision of such support and empowerment to spread throughout all levels of the University, MCAST and third level courses.

The three organisations are committed to giving, through the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, a preparatory APT course to persons with disability or social disadvantage who intend to apply soon to join social-work courses, and to help them overcome disadvantages that may crop up as a result of their disability; supporting each participant through a student-mentor for the duration of the preparatory APT course (February-May); preparing existing university students (in the first semester) to act as mentors by encouraging, training and matching them with the mentee students they will support; working for this approach to permeate to other courses and faculties at a later stage; and working in partnership with MCAST so that prospective students with disability can be similarly helped to join their social care course and subsequently other courses also on offer.

A short course on "Access to professional training" is being offered by the Department of Social Policy and Social Work within the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy.

This course addresses the needs of persons interested in taking up a course in Social Work, Social Policy, Social Care, Youth Studies or Social Care, and possess, or who are on the way to obtaining, the required entry qualifications, and who have a disability, or other social disadvantage.

The course consists of about 15 hours of sessions, intended to facilitate access to such studies, and will include further sessions that introduce participants to the course, the experience and demands it carries with it, and the profession it leads to.

In this way, the structure of the course is intended to help students develop key skills involved, including study and relational skills and skills in managing life challenges.

Each participant will have the support of a student from a related course acting as mentor, a friend with experience and a readiness to help. Participants who successfully complete the course will be presented with a certificate.

This course is being prepared and promoted with the help of Leonardo funds in an international project between the University of Malta and the Commission, together with Marie Curie Foundation (Bulgaria) and Social Services Department of Sliven, Bulgaria, and de Montfort University of Leicester (project co-ordinator).

The Commission and the University have appointed a steering committee to run this project, which will be dealing with all the necessary preparations for the course, to meet targeted projects and to look into the possibility of extending similar courses to other faculties at university.

The co-operation has been extended to the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology, who is now a fully-fledged partner in the project.

Since this course is built on the Social Model of Disability, persons with disability are already participating actively in the committee's decision-making process.

Disabled people could be further involved in lecturing for the training of mentors at university; providing feedback to the Commission about the Website and in the training to be given to students who take up the course, to be held at the University between February and April.

Three international partner meetings were held - the first in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, the second in Malta and the last in Sliven, also in Bulgaria. During this meeting, every participating country presented a report of the work carried out on the project.

Malta was represented by Dr Charles Pace, on behalf of the University of Malta, and Rosanne Fenech, representing the Commission.

This year's course, linked with university courses in social work, social policy, social care and youth studies, and the social care course run by MCAST, is also envisaged as a pilot and a door-opener so that university courses and third level studies become normal practice.

For more information, or to apply, contact e-mail andreadibben@onvol. net or charles.pace@um.edu.mt or visit http://www.apt-leonardo.org/Default.aspx (work in progress).