{"id":5889,"date":"2021-11-29T15:42:47","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T13:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabilityconnect.co.za\/?p=5889"},"modified":"2021-11-29T15:42:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T13:42:47","slug":"celebrate-what-people-with-disabilities-can-do-not-what-they-cant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/2021\/11\/29\/celebrate-what-people-with-disabilities-can-do-not-what-they-cant\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrate what People with Disabilities can do, not what they can\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s National Disability Rights Awareness Month, the perfect time to spotlight the fact that of the three million South Africans who live with disabilities, only 1% have jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This alarming statistic clearly indicates that we need to do more to celebrate what people with disabilities can do, not what they can\u2019t. This is the view of Sean Sharp, Executive Head of Sales at EduPower Skills Academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He believes that the best way to support the economic advancement of People with Disabilities (PWDs) in South Africa is by empowering them with skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLearnership programmes provide PWDs with an accredited qualification and invaluable work experience in a specific occupation,\u201d says Sean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis significantly improves their employability allowing them to build careers and make a positive contribution at work and in society.\u201d Sean has first-hand experience of the impact that learnership have for PWDs as 90% of the learners at EduPower are youngsters with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThrough our training, practical work experience, mentorship and our unique self-development programme, our PWD candidates acquire the skills that unlock career prospects they never dreamed would be possible.\u201d Sean, therefore, encourages PWDs to seek out learnership opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To provide some guidance, he answers the common questions asked by EduPower\u2019s candidates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is a Learnership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A learnership is a 12-month structured learning programme that provides theoretical training as well as practical work experience that is directly related to an occupation or a specific field of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is a Learnership a qualification?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A learnership leads to a nationally recognised qualification that is registered in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What do I need to qualify for a Learnership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>You must be a South African citizen with a valid ID document<\/li><li>You need a matric certificate<\/li><li>You must be aged between 16 and 35<\/li><li>You must be unemployed<\/li><li>You must be fluent in English and have good communication skills<\/li><li>And finally, PWDs need a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner that details their specific disability.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What if I don\u2019t have a Matric?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The academic requirements for learnership vary but some organisations do offer learnership for people with disabilities who do not have their matric qualification. If you are not sure, just ask about the minimum education requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I have to pay for a Learnership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you are accepted into a learnership programme, you don\u2019t have to pay any fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I get paid to do a Learnership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a specified minimum learner allowance called a stipend that will be paid to unemployed learners while they are in the learnership. This is not a salary but it\u2019s intended to cover expenses such as travel and meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>As a double amputee, can I apply for a learnership?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before applying, you need to be clear about your interests, your abilities and your chosen career path. It\u2019s also important to consider which learnership opportunities will provide the best employment opportunities for you, taking into account the nature of your disability. For example, as a double amputee, you probably won\u2019t be able to work in a factory but you could work in an office, so a Contact Centre learnership may be a consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>I am hard of hearing so what learnership can I do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Candidates who are deaf can do anything \u2013 except hear. People with a sensory impairment have a lot to offer as their other senses are usually heightened so if you are deaf, you are probably highly observant. An office job would therefore be perfect and a great qualification may be an Information Technology learnership such as End User Computing Level 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there are more questions that can be asked, Sean says the most important thing to remember is that if you don\u2019t have the option of tertiary education, learnership are a great opportunity for PWDs who want to learn skills and build a career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEveryone is equal in our training and that\u2019s why we no longer see any of our learners disabilities, only their abilities. Through our learnership we develop the whole person so they have the skills and the confidence to go out and make a career for themselves,\u201d he concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Source: Ridge Times <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s National Disability Rights Awareness Month, the perfect time to spotlight the fact that of the three million South Africans who live with disabilities, only 1% have jobs. This alarming statistic clearly indicates that we need to do more to celebrate what people with disabilities can do, not what they can\u2019t. This is the view [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5890,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-disability-spotlight","category-focus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.disabilityconnectexpo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}