GIZ-BConnected enhance employability of persons with disabilities

From left: BConnected Managing Director Felicia Adhihetty, University of Sri Jayewardenepura Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Dean Prof. Shirantha Heenkenda, Social Services Department Director Social Services Darshani Karunarathna, Employers’ Federation of Ceylon Specialised Training and Disability Centre Manager Manique Gunaratne, MAS Holdings Head of Social Sustainability Amanthi Perera and Merrill J. Fernando Charitable Foundation MJF Centres Manager Rehana Wettasinghe at BEmpowered launch event

GIZ Vocational Training in Sri Lanka Project, in collaboration with BConnected, has launched the BEmpowered Programme to enhance employability of persons with disabilities by providing comprehensive skill training and connecting them to employment opportunities in the corporate sector.  

The first BEmpowered training programme was conducted in collaboration with the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon. The training was provided free of charge to 15 young individuals, including graduates and undergraduates, with visual impairments, speech/hearing impairments and physical disabilities. The training covered areas such as soft skills, personality development, IT and functional English, enabling the participants to develop key competencies required to enter the job market.  

Following the training programme, the trainees will be linked to private sector companies, which expressed their willingness to employ persons with disabilities at the recently concluded policy dialogue ‘Towards a More Inclusive Work Environment for Persons with Disabilities’, held at the BMICH. The representatives from the public TVET institutions and private sector discussed possibilities to engage, educate and encourage corporates to work together to create a more disability inclusive society at the policy dialogue.  

Representing the corporate sector with approximately 450 employees with disabilities in their workforce, MAS Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd Head of Social Sustainability Amanthi Perer said, “Everybody stands to gain if more diverse people with diverse backgrounds work in our companies.” 

University of Sri Jayewardenepura Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty Dean Prof. Shirantha Heenkenda said, “A structured internship programme is crucial for gaining employment opportunities.” 

Employers’ Federation of Ceylon Specialised Training and Disability Centre Manager Manique Gunaratne called for more targeted skill development programmes to better equip the individuals with disabilities for the corporate world.