Mapping Learning to Earning Opportunities For youth with disabilities in Eastern and Southern Africa

What is it?

This report, based on insights from various government, UN and NGO stakeholders creates a targeted mapping of the situation of learning to earning for youth with disabilities to provide several recommendations to practitioners to make learning to earning initiatives inclusive and impactful. This includes, for example, designing learning to earning programmes together with youth with disabilities, adapting learning content and teaching methodology, providing targeted career guidance, and collaborating with employers to transform workplaces into more inclusive working environments. 

HIGHLIGHTS

Several countries in Eastern and Southern Africa provide government sponsored skills-building and training to youth with disabilities in both special and inclusive settings. Despite these efforts and emerging promising practices, limited outreach leaves youth with disabilities and their families unaware of initiatives. In addition, employers, mentors and investors often do not have processes in place to successfully onboard interns, mentees and employees with disabilities, and some may be reluctant to host them at all because of negative perceptions of disability.