A memorandum of employment was signed between the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social affairs, the Social Service Agency, and the Children and Youth Development Fund of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of Georgia.
The memorandum aims to support and promote the employment of individuals with disabilities and/or special educational needs, identity the possible services, establish the methodology for the selected services, pilot the employment services and analyze the results. ON the basis of best practice and research findings, recommendations will be designed in regards to the individuals with disabilities and special educational needs for the open labor market and the employment system, in conjunction with policy-making.
This way, government agencies respond to the memorandum of December 13, 2006, ratified during the United Nations Convention on the rights of individuals with disabilities and/or special educational needs, which dictates to ensure the provision of quality education and employment to the above-mentioned individuals, which guarantees their full and equal participation in public life.
ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, under which the country has committed itself to ensure the education and employment of people with disabilities, their full and equal participation in public life.
The creation and the initiator of the said memorandum is the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, who for the first time in Georgia, initiated supportive services in order to create employment opportunities, which are in compliance to the European standards. Within the scope of this memorandum, a number of important steps have been taken together with the Norwegian partners/colleagues. According to the memorandum, the Ministry of Education and Science promotes the employment of people with disabilities and special needs, and supports their professional development.
In 2016, the Social Service Agency employed two supportive personnel, who act as consultant and decision-makers from the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, and visited the city of Guernsey - United Kingdom, where they got acquainted with the international experience and supportive employment practices. Also as a result of the visit, supportive employees are being trained by experts and a concept of supportive standards are being created. At the same time, a training module is set up to train the consultants.
Supportive employment in Georgia is the first systematic approach to individuals with disabilities and special educational needs to further aid their employment, and professional development.