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Govt prepares disabled people to join work force
Practice makes perfect: A total of 23 disabled people from various cities across the country take part in a two-month training workshop in sewing at the Griya Pelatihan training center at PT Apac Inti Corpora in Semarang, Central Java
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span class="inline inline-center">Practice makes perfect: A total of 23 disabled people from various cities across the country take part in a two-month training workshop in sewing at the Griya Pelatihan training center at PT Apac Inti Corpora in Semarang, Central Java. After completing the training, participants will be offered jobs in various garment factories. The program is being run by Better Work Indonesia under the International Labor Organization (ILO). (JP/Suherdjoko) )
The government plans to educate and prepare at least 85 people with disabilities across Indonesia annually to be hired by companies in big cities.
The head of the Bina Daksa Vocational Rehabilitation Center (BBRVBD) of the Social Affairs Ministry, Tutiek Haryati, said that her institution would provide them not only with needed knowledge and skills, but would also prepare them mentally.
'We would prepare them to have a good mentality before joining the world of work. It is not easy,' said Tutiek in a business forum at the Pullman Hotel in Central Jakarta on Tuesday.
There are about 38 million people with disabilities in Indonesia who still face attitudinal, physical and informational barriers to equal opportunities in the working world, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Tutiek said that his vocational rehabilitation center had collaborated with several psychological education bodies and social workers from the ministry to prepare disabled people to be ready to join the work force.
The Sanur-based foundation, Puspadi Bali, encountered problems with disabled people. 'The problem is about the work culture. They were shocked when they needed to comply with the strict rules and the hotels' office hours,' Puspadi Bali Director I Nengah Latra said in the forum.
'They have been pampered too long because of their own situations,' he added.
Initially in 2009, his foundation tried to distribute 38 disabled people to work in formal sector enterprises, such as in the hospitality industry. Later, just two weeks after the placement of those disabled people in hotels across Bali, all of them resigned.
Therefore, the foundation started to focus on the development of the mentality of disabled people, besides providing them with soft skills training.
On the other hand, the vocational rehabilitation center currently provides various types of one-year training for disabled people, including electronic goods services, sewing, graphic design and computer skills.
On March 17, the House of Representatives passed the rights of persons with disabilities bill into law, bringing the legislation in line with a United Nations convention that Indonesia ratified in 2011. The law would protect the education and employment rights of disabled people within society. (vps/bbn)
