From 4 February to 6 March 2019, Centre for Civic Education (CCE) has organized training for development of IT competences for 10 unemployed persons with disability, within the framework of project ‘Skills Development for Better Employability of Persons with Disabilities’.
During one-month training, participants have learnt to use MS Word, MS Excel and MS Power Point, they were creating and formatting their resumes, etc. Special attention was dedicated to communication potential of internet in the business world, search of useful information from internet platforms and their incorporation and processing through different databases.
Stefan Vojvodic, Executive director of company New Page and lecturer at the training, expressed his satisfaction with the interest demonstrated by the participants, as well as by their readiness to learn both simple and complicated commands within Microsoft Office Package. He stated: ‘By helping others to prepare themselves for the labour market, we are fostering our business community as well, thus providing to our business larger framework, and making society better. This project is achieving multiple effects through development of competences of persons with disability and encouraging development of their IT competences, which represents great contribution to higher competitiveness of this marginalized group on labour market’.
Jupo Babacic, construction technician for hydraulic engineering and project participant from Podgorica, said that IT training was very important for his professional development. ‘I think that everybody should work on improvement of his/her capacities and should constantly specialize. Being familiar with IT competences definitely helps in finding job and it is always an advantage when someone has that kind of knowledge in day-to-day situations as well‘, assessed he.
Dragica Vujovic, economic technician and project participant from Niksic, considers that ‘IT competences are important factor when it comes to employment, and something that employers want as basic skill. Regardless of age, profession or education level, we all must work on ourselves and seek to be in line with development of technologies and requests issued by the employers‘, concluded Vujovic.
By development of their IT competences, participants have demonstrated exceptional level of dedication in learning basic IT assignments, as well as capability of team work and mutual complement. They all agreed that these skills can significantly help them while applying for jobs.
Project ‘Skills Development for Better Employability of Persons with Disabilities’ aims to contribute to improvement of social and economic inclusion of persons with disability within Montenegrin society. More specifically, the project aims to improve employability of persons with disabilities through informal training directed at developing key competencies, working practices and promotion of benefits and good practices of employment of these persons within the group itself, but also towards potential employers and general public. The project is implemented by the CCE, in cooperation with company New Page LLC, and with the support of the Employment Agency of Montenegro.
Zeljka Cetkovic, CCE Programme Associate