The Foundation for IT Accessibility recently held its annual ICT training completion ceremony to present certificates to 65 students with intellectual and communication difficulties who completed courses.

Course sessions began last October at the Malta College for Arts Science and Technology’s ICT Institute, St Theresa School Girls’ College, Aċċess at Vittoriosa and Santa Marta day centre in Gozo.

The course held in Gozo was organised with the support of the Santa Marta day centre which provided the premises and the Gozo Ministry which funded the training services. FITA coordinated the courses with the Gozo Association of Persons with Disability. Courses held in Malta continue to be organised in collaboration with MCAST, the Directorate for Life Long Learning, and the Aċċess Centre.

A total of 83 students applied for FITA courses and 65 certificates of attendance were awarded in total. All 16 students who sat for the ECDL examination passed.

FITA chief executive Stanley Debono explained the foundation was going further than merely delivering targeted ICT training for people with learning difficulties geared towards recognised certification. It was also in the process of actively empowering disabled employees by providing them with the necessary skills and experiences to contribute to organisational goals.

“People with disabilities face barriers of all types,” FITA’s Leone Sciberras said.

“However, technology is helping to remove many obstacles. By using ICT for common tasks such as reading and writing documents, communicating with others, and searching for information on the internet, employees or students with different disabilities are increasingly able to handle a wider array of activities and work independently.”

The ceremony was attended by Education Minister Dolores Cristina, MITA chairman Godwin Grima and MITA chief executive Matthew Gatt.

Applications for FITA courses starting in October are being accepted. Information is available at www.fitamalta.eu.