Government of Canada Helps People with Disabilities in Brandon Develop Job Skills

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2010-10-16) - Mr. Merv Tweed, Member of Parliament for Brandon-Souris, made the announcement today on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development."

In today's environment, it is more important than ever that all Canadians have the skills they need to participate and succeed in the job market," said Mr. Tweed. "By supporting this project, our government is helping Canadians with disabilities maximize their potential and independence."

The Optimist Club of Brandon will receive over $28,000 under the Enhanced Employment Assistance Services component of the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. This project will help over 25 individuals with disabilities gain the skills they need to obtain jobs.

The Opportunities Fund helps support an array of activities, such as increasing employability skills, providing work experience and preparing individuals for self-employment. The Government of Canada is committed to breaking down barriers that prevent Canadians with disabilities from reaching their full potential with a wide range of effective policies, programs and services.

The Fund is part of the Government of Canada's strategy to create the best educated, most skilled and most flexible workforce in the world. The Government underscored its commitment to this strategy in Canada's Economic Action Plan. A key component of the Plan is to create more and better opportunities for Canadian workers through skills development. To learn more about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca

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Does job coaching really work?

Can a government-sponsored job coaching program for individuals with intellectual disabilities really help someone get a job?

That’s what a team of USC researchers wanted to find out when they looked into a statewide job-coaching program offered through the S.C. Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (DDSN).

“We’ve been collecting data on special needs–individuals in South Carolina for 13 years, focusing on both prevention of disabilities and quality of life issues,” said Suzanne McDermott, a professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. “As we turned our attention to people with intellectual disabilities who want to earn a real wage, we wondered if government-supported job coaching programs really work—are the programs any more effective than someone just going out and finding a job without assistance?”

The question is particularly relevant for South Carolina, which administers a federally mandated job coaching effort to assist the roughly 10,000 citizens who have intellectual disabilities and the basic abilities to hold down a job.

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