USAID Persons with Disabilities Internship and Employment Project is a four year project that started in August 2012 and targeted persons with disabilities from Polog (Tetovo and Gostivar), Skopje, North-East (Kumanovo), Central (Veles), South-West (Struga, Kicevo, Debar) and East (Shtip, Probishtip, Sveti Nikole) regions of Macedonia. It is implemented by My Career from Skopje, in cooperation with Handimak from Tetovo.
USAID Persons with Disabilities Internship and Employment Project supports the implementation of Macedonia’s National Strategy on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as it aims to increase participation of persons with disabilities in the society by improving their employability skills through training and internships, as well as by supporting persons with disabilities to start their own businesses. The project is expected to raise sensitivity about the needs and rights of this marginalized category of Macedonian citizens. The Project contributes to limiting or removing barriers that deny persons with disabilities access to full social participation... More

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO DATE
Establishment of a database of over 1000 PWDs and database of 418 companies interested in hiring PWDs
159 full time employments (of which 19 are in public institutions)
424 PWDs trained on job search strategies
49 PWDs trained on entrepreneurship
35 PWDs trained in creative skills
81 PWDs placed as interns
259 representatives of businesses and public institutions trained as mentors of PWDs

Project Components

From Internship to Employment and Self-employment

The project provides internship and employment opportunities to persons with disabilities in private and public sector organizations. Through the Job Searching Strategies training, persons with disabilities improve their employability skills. Professional courses for entrepreneurship are provided to those interested in starting their own businesses. The project also provides training on “Methodology for successful mentorship of persons with disabilities” for representatives of private companies and public institutions that hire persons with disabilities. Through this training they can recognize, value and properly utilize the potential of persons with disabilities working in their organizations.

Making Disability Issues Visible to the Private Sector and Community

Success stories, videos, leaflets, promotional events and other promotional materials and activities are undertaken in order to increase public and private sector awareness of the potential of persons with disabilities and to encourage positive changes in the perception and attitudes toward persons with disabilities in society.

Project Advisory Board of People with Disabilities

The project has an Advisory Board comprised of representatives of persons with disabilities organizations and other stakeholders. The Advisory Board is dedicated to advocacy activities to make policy makers and other actors aware of the need for productive inclusion of persons with disabilities in society.

 

This web site is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The contents are the responsibility of My Career and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.