Workability International Second Conference

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Workability International Second Conference

• 9-13 September 2003
• Bergen, Norway

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Delivering Best Practice

• Current Practice in Skills Acquisition for
  Persons with Disabilities a new ILO Disability
  Programme work item, 2004-5
• Presented by Bob Ransom, Skills Development
  Department (IFP/SKILLS) ILO, Geneva

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International Labour Organization (ILO)

• The primary goal of the ILO today is to promote
  decent and productive work for women and men,
  including persons with disabilities, in
  conditions of freedom, equity, security and human
  dignity
• The ILO works to achieve this goal through
  knowledge-building, advocacy and service
  provision activities

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Knowledge

• The ILO collects information from member States
  on developments within its mandate, and shares
  the knowledge gained with its constituents and
  other development partners

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Advocacy

• The ILO promotes standards and good practices in
  policy, programmes and service delivery
• The ILO does this through the adoption and
  monitoring of ratified international Conventions,
  as well as by the adoption of Recommendations
  and Codes of Practice

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Service

• The ILO provides technical support to member
  States in the formulation of policy, legislation
  and programmes in line with its standards and
  identified good practices
• The ILO does this through policy advice and the
  implementation of donor-funded technical
  cooperation projects

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The Issue

• Many governments now have policies and strategies
  providing for vocational skills training for
  disabled persons, often as part of vocational
  rehabilitation and employment services
• Yet most make provision for skills acquisition in
  specialized programmes and institutions created
  specifically and separately for persons with
  disabilities
• They do not promote or facilitate the integration
  of disabled trainees into mainstream training
  institutions used by non-disabled trainees

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Proposed Work Item

• The ILO Disability Programme promotes mainstream
  skills training provision for disabled persons as
  a policy aim, yet there is a lack of information
  on policies and good practices to achieve this
  aim
• Information is also lacking on effective skills
  acquisition strategies in general for youth and
  adults with disabilities

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The ILO Disability Programme proposes to collect
information on present policies and practices in
skills acquisition for persons with disabilities
in mainstream training institutions and
programmes, as well as in special centres and
programmes for disabled persons
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Specifically

• Information will be sought from industrialized
  and developing countries, and countries in
  transition to a market economy in all regions of
  the world
• Particular attention will be paid to policies
  and services catering to people with specific
  disabilities namely physical disability, visual
  impairment, hearing impairment, intellectual
  disability and mental health difficulties

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In addition

• Current practices in skills acquisition for
  disabled persons will be reviewed with the aim of
  identifying actual mainstream training, including
  training in formal training centres (both public
  and private), on-the-job training, and
  apprenticeships
• Trends in the provision of training and related
  services in organizations and programmes catering
  only to disabled persons will also be reviewed

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Finally

• Specific attention will be paid to gender-related
  aspects of training policy and service provision
  
• Training opportunities for youth with
  disabilities will also be identified, with a view
  to contributing to the work of the Youth
  Employment Network (YEN)

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Study Outputs

• Report published on Current Trends in Skills
  Acquisition for Persons with Disabilities
• International Consultation organized on
  mainstream vocational training for persons with
  disabilities and report published
• Guide published on effective mainstream
  vocational training policies and programmes,
  including examples of good practice
• Guide published on good practice and innovations
  in special training centres and programmes for
  persons with disabilities

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Potential Collaborating Organizations

• Asia- Pacific Development Centre on Disability
• Australian Disability Training Advisory Council
• Centre National de Recherches et de Ressources
  pour la Formation Professionnelle des Personnes
  Handicapées - France

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• European Platform on Vocational Rehabilitation
• Inter-American Centre for Research and
  Documentation on Vocational Training
• International Disability Alliance (IDA)
• Rehabilitation International and its Commission
  on Work and Employment
• Workability International and its Sub-Regional
  Groups - Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and
  Oceania

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Next Steps leading to possible ILO-WI
Collaboration

• Task Force to be formed in Skills Development
  Department, ILO Geneva
• Scope of Work for the Study to be further
  elaborated and shared with WI and other potential
  collaborating organizations for input and
  suggestions of countries and organizations with
  good practices, for inclusion in the Study
• Study to get under way in early 2004

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Thank you!