On Wednesday, 14 July 2021, QASA hosted another Employment Workshop to educate employers on the benefits of employing people with disabilities with the hope of also securing work opportunities for the candidates of the QASA Work Readiness Programme – a skills development programme aimed at upskilling members for the formal workplace.
As recruitment officer for QASA, Dhaneshree Naidoo elaborates: “The workshop is to recruit host employers for the candidates so that they can complete their five-day workplace experience and, hopefully, secure permanent opportunities.”
The ultimate goal is to secure full-time employment. For this reason, anyone can join the virtual workshop for free, although the discussion is specifically tailored to human resource officers, managers and decision-makers in the employment process.
There were close to 40 employers who attended the workshop in July. Raven Benny, QASA COO, welcomed everyone to the workshop and introduced the topics of discussion. He was followed by Dhaneshree, who spoke about the Work Readiness Programme and the need for the five-day work experience.
Raven Benny with introductions and Dhaneshree Naidoo on the QASA Work Readiness Programme
She was followed by the three key speakers of the event. First was Lesa Bradshaw, owner of Bradshaw Le Rouw Consulting. She spoke on the need for companies to make reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities in the workplace.
Lesa Bradshaw on Reasonable Accommodation (Part 1)
While this could often feel like a daunting task for which businesses don’t have the budget, Lesa pointed to the benefits of an accessible workplace, and the simple solutions that could mean little to no cost to the company.
Lesa Bradshaw on Reasonable Accommodation (Part 2)
As an example, businesses could consider changing the location of a department so that it is accessible from the ground floor rather than installing ramps, hoists or lifts.
Lesa Bradshaw on Reasonable Accommodation (Part 3)
Lesa was followed by former QASA CEO and disability Ari Seirlis who spoke on the value proposition of employing people with disabilities. Specifically, he spoke about the opportunities that the Coronavirus pandemic presented with much of the formal workforce in most businesses relocated to their homes.
He pointed to how this opportunity could benefit businesses that employ people with disabilities as the employee could be accommodated at home.
Ari Seirlis on the Value Proposition of employing people with disabilities
The workshop was concluded with a presentation by Pieter du Toit, employment equity consultant, who discussed the employment equity policies for people with disabilities. He highlighted the best ways for businesses to meet their employment requirements.
Peter du Toit on Employment Equity (Part 1)
Peter du Toit on Employment Equity (Part 2)
Of the workshop, Raven says: “We are grateful for all the businesses who attended and support our Work Readiness Programme through offering the candidates invaluable workplace experience. We hope to continue bridging the gap between unemployment and employment among our members.”