A guide book for career guidance practitioners : employability skills for young adults with disabilities

Abstract

Employability skills have become employees' most significant tools in competing in a fast evolving global market economy. Individuals with disabilities also form part of human resources and hence they should be offered the tools and training opportunities to take part in the world of work. The twentieth century has been marked by a stronger relationship between education and the economic market. Career guidance programs strive to assist students in assimilating employability skills from a rather early age. Career guidance for students with disabilities is rather a novel research area on both a local and international level. This long essay evaluates the challenges that hinder students with disabilities in developing employability skills. It delineates the needs that career guidance programs should take into consideration to promote students' transition in the work environment. Data and experiences from international career programs which have been implemented with students with disabilities were collected, and their suitability to the local scenario discussed. Subsequently they were implemented within a Resource Pack, with particular reference to employability skills taught at a local Resource Centre. The Resource Pack presents a number of lesson plans and resources that can be applied within this educational setting. It is aimed to serve as an educational tool for enhancing career exploration and employability skills for post secondary students with disabilities.