Project
Promoting youth independence through employment
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Amount Funded
23,749 EUROProject Duration
01 Mar 2019 - 29 Feb 2020 -
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Lead organisation
Essential Personnel Cambodia Non-Governmental Organisation
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Essential Personnel Cambodia Non-Governmental Organisation (EPC) dedicates itself to empowering young Cambodians with disabilities through education and vocational training, leading to employment and independence. EPC’s project intends to facilitate or provide formal and informal education programmes and lifelong learning that will assist children and young persons with disabilities to achieve self-sustaining employment. The organisation visions an inclusive community where children and youth with disabilities gain access to education, vocational training and employment in order to achieve their full potential and live with a sense of dignity and self-worth in the community.
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Organisation
Essential Personnel Cambodia Non-Governmental Organisation (EPC) dedicates itself to empowering young Cambodians with disabilities through education and vocational training, leading to employment and independence. EPC’s project intends to facilitate or provide formal and informal education programmes and lifelong learning that will assist children and young persons with disabilities to achieve self-sustaining employment. The organisation visions an inclusive community where children and youth with disabilities gain access to education, vocational training and employment in order to achieve their full potential and live with a sense of dignity and self-worth in the community.
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Project
Promoting youth independence through employment project promotes economic empowerment and social growth by supporting young women and men with disabilities to successfully integrate into commercial life. The project mainstreams the recruitment of young people with disabilities by highlighting the business case for hiring them by recognition of their abilities and skills. It intends to demonstrate a scalable and replicate model for policymakers by work along with the Disability Action Council and National Employment Agency to adapt job coaching approaches that are self-sustaining and easily implemented. The project raises awareness that persons with disabilities can economically contribute to the growth of Cambodia, promoting inclusion and a move away from the perception of persons with disabilities as recipients of charity but rather as full citizens participating in their communities. This will also see a change in employers from all sectors as they realise the potential benefits of employing persons with disabilities and the business case for their employment.
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Promoting youth independence through employment project promotes economic empowerment and social growth by supporting young women and men with disabilities to successfully integrate into commercial life. The project mainstreams the recruitment of young people with disabilities by highlighting the business case for hiring them by recognition of their abilities and skills. It intends to demonstrate a scalable and replicate model for policymakers by work along with the Disability Action Council and National Employment Agency to adapt job coaching approaches that are self-sustaining and easily implemented. The project raises awareness that persons with disabilities can economically contribute to the growth of Cambodia, promoting inclusion and a move away from the perception of persons with disabilities as recipients of charity but rather as full citizens participating in their communities. This will also see a change in employers from all sectors as they realise the potential benefits of employing persons with disabilities and the business case for their employment.
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“I gained confidence, I know my strength and weak point. I know what I can do and what I cannot do, and now I got a job as a shop assistant at a Khmer cake bakery.” – Khun Phea, a wheelchair user in Siem Reap province
Though the project “Promoting youth independence through employment” Essential Personnel Cambodia (EPC) was able to agree on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation (MOSVY) that was signed in January 2020. The main objective of this MoU is to allow EPC together with other local and international organisations, employers, relevant ministries, and other relevant stakeholders to establish a committee, the National Employment Forum Committee, to promote and support jobs and employment for people with disabilities in Cambodia. Joining the committee that is led by the MOSVY and supporting to shape its Terms of Reference (TOR) was a key step for EMC’s long-term planning. Membership in this committee allowed EPC joining forces and taking responsibility to promote youth independence through employment.
The project achieved 2 key successes. Firstly, 2 MOSVY staff from the department of welfare for persons with disabilities were selected for training and working along the EPC team as job coaches. Their tasks included managing cases and career development planning for each job seeker, supporting them in successfully applying for jobs, and setting up a job forum for youth with disabilities. Secondly, EPC has played a very important role to coordinate and influence more than 20 private companies and businesses to get inspired and accept people with disabilities as their employees, based on the law on protection and promotion of people with disabilities. As a result of these 2 key successes, the project has supported 76 young job seekers that are people with disabilities, out of which 53 (including 37 women) gained a job already.
Youth with disabilities job forum:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=203673977596040