By Sana Faheem | Associate, NOWPDP
As we pursue our aim for the continuous enhancement of the capabilities of young persons with disabilities, your extended support and confidence, has helped us increasingly more. We are thoroughly grateful for your constant support in helping these students fulfill their aspirations and strive towards their limitless potential and we hope that we remain as successful and more for our future endeavors.
How we do it?
NOWPDP operates through its program Dastoor to facilitate the training of persons with disabilities. Training is provided in collaboration with different mainstream vocational training centres in selective skills. The program team identifies and prepares persons with disabilities interested in the trades to be part of the training. Program activities also include the sensitisation of the teachers, staff and management at vocational training centres to make them aware of persons with disabilities and etiquettes of interacting with them.
Over the past year, we have partnered with different mainstream vocational training centres and made them inclusive in order to provide training opportunities to around 40 young persons with disabilities in computer skills, including graphic designing, web designing, and MS Office, as well as vocational skills, such as sewing and cutting, plumbing and make-up/grooming.
Currently, we are working with three training institutes, namely The Hunar Foundation, Ravissant Salon, and Pakistan American Cultural Center (PACC) to provide training in the fields of plumbing, basic spa skills, and radio broadcasting, respectively, in an effort to facilitate their journey towards economic empowerment.
Hunar Foundation:
Hunar Foundatoin is one of the country’s leading vocational training centers. In July, 2016 we partnered with the vocational training centre to train 7 persons with hearing impairments in the trade of plumbing, in an inclusive classroom with 15 perosns without disabilities. The year-long course offers theoretical and practical knowledge, and equips the trainees with the skills required to pursue a career in residential and industrial plumbing. Hence, in addition to installation and maintenance of plumbing fixtures, it also enables them to plan and design plumbing systems for buildings. Students appeared for examinations by the Trade Testing Board certification, which is a local government certification body, as well as the UK City and Guilds examination. The training was completed in June, 2017.
Ravissant Salon:
We partnered with Ravissant Beauty Salon in March, 2017 to provide 3-month training to 5 women with hearing impairment for a Basic Spa course, covering a number of skills, such as facials, manicures, pedicures, threading, waxing, blow-dry, basic hairstyling and makeup. Equipping these women with the abovementioned skills not only facilitates their growth and prospects of being employed at various spas and salons, but also provides them the requisite skills which they can leverage to venture in self-employment, if they wish. The training is scheduled to end in July 2017.
Pakistan American Cultural Center (PACC):
By joining hands with Pakistan American Cultural Center (PACC), we initiated a training for 8 students with visual impairment in radio broadcasting in May this year. The 3-month long training covers areas of mass communication, history of radio, content writing, radio broadcasting systems, technical aspects of radio broadcasting (including sound systems, editing, recording formats etc.), radio jockeying and internet radio. The course offers a mix of theory and practical, hence in addition to lectures, it also involves visits to radio stations, and guest lectures by radio personalities. The foundation level course allows the trainees to pursue different career paths in the field of radio broadcasting, depending on their interest.
Way Forward:
In the following months, trainees will be given complimentary sessions for work readiness and self-employment. Mentors identified from relevant professional fields will also provide guidance to persons with disabilities looking to be employed or venture in to self-employment.
The program team is currently mapping more trades and skills which are relevant to the market as well as relevant to the employment or self-employment persons with disabilities.
NOWPDP has also collaborated with AmanTech to train persons with hearing speech impairment in the skills of Auto Body and Paint. The 6 month training will begin in July.
Trainees’ Testimonials
“For the first time, females with hearing impairment are being provided the opportunity to learn beautician skills. I, along with my fellow trainees, am very happy and after the training I aim to open my own beauty parlor. The trainers are very cooperative as all our queries are attended to.” – Nilofer, trainee at Ravissant Salon
"Our journey so far has been an amazing ride. Work has become a bit tough now but we all are enjoying.” – Sami, trainee at The Hunar Foundation
“My dream in life was to acquire a skill that I would be known for. I was fortunate to be enrolled in a plumbing training course at The Hunar Foundation.” – Obaid, trainee at The Hunar Foundation
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