Programme aims to get 3,000 vulnerable people into work
‘Everyone has a right to reap the rewards of a successful economy’: Byron Camilleri
The government has launched the second iteration of a scheme which provides the necessary tools to aid people with disabilities and vulnerable people to enter the workforce.
The latest version of the VASTE programme, a collaboration between Jobsplus, the Lino Spiteri Foundation and other NGOs, was unveiled at a press conference on Monday morning.
It was explained that the programme will provide specific training and occupational therapy to the individuals who apply for the scheme.
Employment Minister Byron Camilleri said the first programme had attracted 2,300 people, 45 per cent of whom had managed to find work in the six months after they completed the programme.
Camilleri said the European co-financed programme, was boosted with an extra €6 million, making up an investment of €18 million.
“Our economy is growing and the job market is in a very good place, but not everyone finds it easy to take up the opportunities created by this success. We believe everyone, even those who are most disadvantaged, have a right to work,” Camilleri said.
The minister said the government aimed to reach 3,000 vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, prisoners on pre-release leave, troubled youths and migrants.
Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, the minister for EU funds, said the programme was one of the most important uses of the funds.
“We should never forget that a section of society needs additional help to seize the opportunities that the country is creating,” he said.
Azzopardi added that such people could help the country keep pace with Europe and the rest of the world when it came to the digital transformation of the economy, in line with the goals of Vision 2050.
Jobsplus CEO Celia Falzon said the aims of the programme were central to the mission of the agency, while noting that 60 per cent of those who had taken part in the previous programme had a disability.
“The success of the programme depends on the success of those who benefit from it. We are here to help them gain confidence, motivation and dignity.”