In the system of values of young people with disabilities, the holding of a job (87%) and obtaining of a profession are important or very important. At the same time, half of the young people with disabilities said that they were not at all or slightly prepared for starting a job. Almost 94% of the respondents consider career guidance is necessary for young people with disabilities. The study “Carrier guidance policies and practices for young people with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova” was presented by Keystone Moldova, IPN reports.

Study author Anastasia Ocheretnyi said that those who benefitted from carrier guidance said they needed this for increasing their chances of finding or changing a job, for improving professional skills and making new acquaintances. Over one third of the young people were guided by the motivation to start a business. Almost three fourths of the respondents took part in income generating activities after career guidance.

Only 16% of the questioned young people consider there are enough jobs for persons with disabilities in Moldova. The lowest level of self-assessment of the preparedness to take up a job is among persons with severe disabilities and young people with disabilities from rural areas. The finding of a job is a challenge and mechanisms should be found to improve employment for these persons.

There are barriers to ensuring career guidance within the education system. It goes to the teaching staff that is not prepared for the career guidance of young people with disabilities, to the non-observance of the person-centered approach. The stereotypic attitude and thinking are another hindrance.

80% of the young people with disabilities who took part in the study lay special emphasis on independence from the family. Regardless of the faced obstacles, they realize that they should develop independent living skills. The young people would like to acquire additional skills in such areas as IT, cook/confectioner, medicine, education and beauty services.

Study co-author Natalia Cojocaru said only 7% of the persons with disabilities benefited from career guidance services provided by the National Employment Agency during the last five years. The men rather than the women, primarily from towns, benefitted from such services. The persons with severe disabilities, chiefly sensorial ones, used such services the least.

The study was carried out during February-April 2021 and covered a sample of 1,111 respondents with disabilities from Moldova. The goal was to analyze the national policies and practices in the field and to formulate recommendations for improving career guidance for young people with disabilities.