Funds for specialised employment training

The Eden Razzett Foundation has been awarded €180,000 from the European Social Fund, which it will be investing in its employment training programmes.

The foundation is spending another €32,000 to develop a specialised vocational training programme that supports students with learning disabilities who wish to follow post-secondary education and training.

Teaming up with the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology and the Institute for Tourism Studies, the foundation aims to develop programmes in horticulture, tourism, office administration and information technology to enable disabled individuals to access open and supported employment.

"Although open employment is suitable for some, supported employment is a key aspect of our work," Alison Scicluna, manager of the adult programmes, said.

"We believe everyone should have an opportunity to develop their own full potential. Going to work has much more than mere economic value. A sense of belonging and participation is a very relevant aspect of the workplace," she added.

On the other hand, the economic value cannot be discounted. Enabling individuals to become productive reduced the load on social services and gave individuals more spending power.

With the right support, disabled individuals can perform on a level playing field within the workforce.

However, foundation CEO Nathan Farrugia believes the value of these programmes can be short-lived. Although it was finding support from the Employment and Training Corporation and the National Commission Persons with Disabilities, the foundation was not finding the right support from the government on supported employment.

"All the funds are geared towards employability. Although these are substantial and the government deserves a lot of credit, there are no funds to support people who are in long-term employment," he said.

"Once the person has been employed for up to three years, the support stops. If the productivity drops, the individual is likely to be laid off if the business cannot make up the gap," Mr Farrugia added.

The foundation was having to raise substantial funds in order to support 22 people in supported employment because the funding from the ETC has been stopped.

"We cannot expect the businesses to make up the difference, particularly in such a poor economic climate. We are keen to work closely with all the above-mentioned institutions to find long-term solutions to the problem," he said.