On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a media breakfast was organized in the premises of the Center for Professional Development in order to promote the Career Center for Persons with Disabilities in Niš.
The career center in Niš is one of the 6 centers that were opened within the project “Job Fit; Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities”, financed by the American Agency for International Development (USAID), and implemented by the Youth with Disabilities Forum in cooperation with partners Caritas Serbia, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, Smart Kolektiv and the Center for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities of Serbia.
On this day, one year ago, the City of Niš signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Forum of Youth with Disabilities as part of the Job Fit project, which affirmed mutual support and cooperation on activities, with the aim of creating an inclusive labor market and encouraging employers to hire people with disabilities. disability.
“We are extremely glad that we have the opportunity today, together with our partners to open the first Career Center for people with disabilities in Niš. When we talk about the barriers faced by people with disabilities, we must remember that these are not only physical barriers, but that work must also be done in other spheres for the inclusion of people with disabilities in society, such as support for employment and starting a business, which is also the goal of this project, on which we will continue cooperation in the coming years,” said Dušica Davidović, the deputy mayor of Niš, and reminded that the City of Niš allocated over 22 million dinars for this year to help people with disabilities in various spheres.
In addition to Niš, career centers are also open in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Zrenjanin, Subotica and Valjevo, where a promotional campaign is currently underway with the aim of informing all persons with disabilities who are looking for a job, how to contact and schedule an interview in local Career centers.
“Employment is one of the most powerful mechanisms for achieving social inclusion of vulnerable groups. People with disabilities have a need to work, this need is motivated by the desire to provide material security for themselves and their family members, but also by the desire to show their potential and actively contribute to the community. The Youth with disabilities Forum works directly with people with disabilities and provides them with services aimed at acquiring skills and knowledge that will make them more competitive in the labor market,” said Tanja Radović Krstić, program manager at the Youth with disabilities Forum.
In the Niš Career Center, in the premises of Caritas, at the address Jug Bogdanova 1, in the courtyard of the Roman Catholic Church, every working day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., a counselor is available for counseling. A conversation with a counselor can be scheduled by email: ddjordjevic@caritas-nis.rs, as well as by phone at 066/80-37-228.
“Career counselors will work individually with people with disabilities, but work in groups will also be organized.” At those personal development workshops, the focus will be on the development of soft skills, such as assertive communication, time management, resolving conflict situations, prejudices, but there will also be practical activities such as writing a CV, preparing for a job interview,” said Dušan Đorđević. , advisor for people with disabilities at Caritas, adding that an important aspect of working with users is providing support in recognizing individual needs for adjusting the workplace and work tasks, as well as support for registration on the portal for employment of people with disabilities.
Those present were greeted by the user of the Career Center, Sara Srbljanović, a nineteen-year-old with visual impairment, who shared her experience in creating multimedia content and her desire to find a job or internship in the field she is interested in, believing that the Career Center is the right place for that.
