A total of 34 people with a disability are learning skills and how to perform work tasks through a €1.7 million EU funded project for sheltered employment.
The project, handled by the Employment and Training Corporation in collaboration with Inspire Foundation, offers daily structured support in a sheltered environment, allowing people with a disability to learn new skills and also further develop social and personal skills.
The majority of the training takes place at the former Mtarfa military hospital. Participants this morning received a visit from Education Minister Evarist Bartolo, EU Funds Parliamentary Secretary Ian Borg and Disability Parliamentary Secretary Justyne Caruana.
Mr Bartolo pointed out that the sheltered workshop for disabled people was not charity but social justice. “This is just a small step,” he said while pointing out that only five per cent of disabled people worked.
The government, he said, would make the best use of a €35 million budget for the employment of people with disability between 2014 and 2020.
The ETC received a total of 170 applications for the project. So far, 50 have been called in and, of these, 16 resigned. There are 111 people with a disability on the waiting list and, of these, 63 have already done occupational therapy assessment while 48 are waiting. The number of clients taking part will increase steadily over the next weeks.
A total of 21 employers are taking part in the scheme: Chiswick House School, Playmobil, Elepac, Vee Gee Bee, Mompalao Trading, Multi Packaging Ltd, Printwell, WasteServ, J&A Bonnici, Fildan Accessories, Thermoplastics, Methode, Uniplast, ASAG Plastics. The training and work for these companies takes place at Mtarfa.
Meanwhile, Dr Caruana said her office was working on a draft policy for “to have a stronger representation” of disabled people on government boards to send out a clear message. “They will be able to have a stronger say in decisions that affect them.
Meanwhile, Berger Paints, Maypole, Vodafone, Seifert, Quintano Foods, ELC and De La Rue Malta also take part in the scheme and the training takes place at their offices.