The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has launched a new vocational training program to help citizens with disabilities find productive employment in Turkey’s burgeoning tourism industry.
The municipality is working along with the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, or TÜRSAB, Turkish Airlines, or THY, and AMADEUS, a Russian company providing IT solutions for the tourism industry, in an effort to find new employees to compensate for the lack of qualified personnel in the industry.
The six-week-long course has become a source of hope for the trainees in achieving their financial independence. The students come from a variety of occupational backgrounds; they used to work as medical representatives, customs agents and call-center workers before suffering accidents that left them with a disability.
“I hope this course will help me stand on my own two feet. I want a long-term job to shoulder all my expenses on my own,” said Hamza Özer, a 35-year-old trainee who previously worked as a medical representative.
“If I can get the certificate, I will be much happier than I am now because it will help me overcome the financial barriers in my life one by one,” he said.
Some 20 trainees with orthopedic disabilities participated in the course’s first section, yet only four passed the course’s first exam and were allowed to continue on in the program.
Aydın Kırda, a 27-year-old Turkish language teacher, said the exam was bittersweet because, while he succeeded in passing it, many friends did not.
“We were 20 friends in the class, but most failed to pass the first exam. We will have another exam at the end of this stage,” Kırda told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. “If we pass the next exam, we will have a better chance to find a job than we have at present.”
An airline ticketing manager from TÜRSAB coordinates the vocational course at the headquarters of the Department of Health and Social Services Directorate for People with Disabilities, or İSÖM, which is run by the Istanbul municipality.
The course teaches all skills that a travel-agency employee must possess, ranging from promoting hotels and car reservations to setting prices and issuing airline tickets.
“Trainees learn manual ticketing over three weeks in the first part of the course. At the moment, they are practicing their skills in a computerized environment,” said Mehveş Çağla, a retired THY ticketing manager. “After the course, they will be able to do everything that is done at a travel agency.”
The oldest trainee in the class is a 40-year-old housewife looking for a good job. “At present, I keep the bar high. I want a long-term job until my retirement,” said Serter Yıldız, who is the mother of two children.
‘Let’s break prejudices’
Trainees say the local authorities should do many more things to help citizens with disabilities become individuals who can contribute to the economy.
“Much has been done so far, but there is still much to be done for citizens with disabilities to integrate into the business world,” said Bülent Yemenli, who used to work as a medical representative before losing mobility.
“All prejudice should be removed. The employers always say there will be no discrimination, but people with disabilities still face it,” he said.
The second course is expected to resume in mid-October with another 20-person class.
Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com
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