Design Challenge:
How might we enhance employability skills for youthful persons with disabilities within Homa Bay and Siaya Counties in a way that promotes their employment chances and career progress so that people with disabilities can have increased access to better employment opportunities and increased income from their career paths in the community.
Introduction:
People with disabilities are part and parcel of everyday happenings in the community. They deserve to be given space, chance and empowered to fully utilize their skills, qualifications and experiences in community development and personal well-being. The experiment objective was to test a Smart Training and Employment Platform geared towards recognizing the underutilization of skills of youthful persons with disabilities and the access deficit they have in joining training institutions to fine-tune and refine their skills in this fast-paced technology era. The platform was planned, designed, developed and deployed for testing with deliberate inclusion youthful persons with disabilities
Results:
The experiment Smart Training and Employment Platform led to increasing and encouraging gender active role in online training and discussion activities, improved learning and interaction with internet connected digital devices. Youthful persons with disabilities and other participants experienced an increase in their social networks. With an initial target of 40 youthful persons with disabilities 67 were registered in the platform for training and information sessions with 19 applying to be trainers, mentors and counselors through the platform.
Scaling:
With the platform proving to be a unique platform for PWDs, and its use demand high than expected as a platform for equalizing gender, uplifting PWDs morals, expanding and intensifying PWD social niches, refreshing their literacy, exposure and refining their skills, the experiment is expected to be put at scale with additional aspects to be experimented. Additional aspects will be done with a view to coping with the emerging issues in employment, labour, work, entrepreneurship, demand-supply, climate change. Approximately 300 youthful PWDs are expected to gain experience in interacting with basic digital technologies effectively in order to improve skills and know-how in building portfolios, applying for jobs online, drafting CVs, accessing links for training and discussions.