Engaging Youth in Meaningful Employment

Assistive technology is any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

1. The use of sign language apps for android phones in low and middle-income countries. This encourages families to learn sign language in their own language. It also enables deaf individuals to be able to communicate with their learning peers.

2. The Employment Assessment Toolkit consists of several questions asked to persons with disabilities to promote meaningful employment. The questions focus on aspirations, access to information, use of technology, independent travel, needs and challenges related to disability. It measures work readiness (how close or far) and results in the development of an action plan to address the needs identified.

3. There is a need for investment in scaling up the skills, knowledge and capacity of the human stakeholders engaged in the selection, purchase, application and use of assistive technology for people with disability.

4. Capture better data and evidence to support policy-making, identification of learners, early intervention and mapping of progress.

Presented by: Dr. Paul Lynch, Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education, University of Glasgow, UK

Employment Assessment Toolkit

1. Informal childcare groups in markets where each woman in the group takes a day to step out of the labour market to look after other people's children.

2. Creation of multiple and flexible pathways of education. The pathway for education could be from primary school to secondary school to technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

3. Establishment of community-based learning centres that help reduce the costs of education. These costs include training costs, user fees and transportation.

Presented by: Paul Atherton, Founder, Fab Inc, UK

1. Super Week: Organisations set up a super week in replacement of interviews. The super week involves inviting all shortlisted candidates to work on a project for a week in the organisation. They are observed in an actual real-life situation and the successful candidates are selected.

2. Reverse Mentoring: This involves persons with disability serving as mentors to senior managers and HR managers who are the mentees. It enables the mentees to gain insights into the needs and challenges of people with disabilities and proffer solutions.

Presented by: Karen Coney, Careers and Employability Consultant, Liverpool John Moores University

Disability Connect Website

1. Virtual Micro Internships: This promotes access to employment opportunities for students in underrepresented groups. It provides flexibility for students being able to work a few hours a week. It removes the barriers to time, travel and other commitments students have.

2. Knowledge Exchange Evaluation Impact Tool: This is a tool developed to evaluate the impact that knowledge exchange has made on students from underrepresented groups.

Presented by: Johannes Read, Policy and Data Analyst, City-REDI, University of Birmingham, UK

Virtual Internships

Student Knowledge Exchange Project