A new project in the city of Dzerzhinsk aims to help disabled young adults find a career. The project “My Route to Occupation” has both short term and long term objectives:
- The short term aim is to assist a number of disabled young people to determine a choice of occupation, and prepare for placement in a job including necessary social integration.
- The longer term goal is to establish a system for disabled young people aged 18-30 to choose an occupation and prepare for a job, involving training, inter-departmental coordination and a bank of information and training materials.
No such system exists in the Dzerzhinsk region at present. The project would establish a coordinated system involving a number of local agencies to ensure the inclusion of disabled young people in finding a career.
The project is run through the Centre for Psychological, Pedagogical, Medical and Social Assistance (PPMC). Additional partners include Vera, the club for people with disabilities, the Department of Social Protection, Pokrov Social Centre, the Employment Centre and educational institutions in the city.
We are grateful to the BEARR Trust (www.bearr.org) for financial support for this work.