JOHOR BAHRU, 7 July 2017:
Thirty people with disabilities have got the opportunity to join the hospitality industry in a pilot project, brought about by a MIC-Riverbank Academy collaboration.
Johor MIC Youth chief B. Subramaniam said the project, which was being implemented for the first time, will ensure selected participants undergo training and at the same time work in the hotel’s operations section such as housekeeping and as frontline workers at the hotel’s entrance and reception.
“This project is to help these people upgrade their lives as well as to reduce the unemployment rate among the disabled,” he said at the open interview session with the disabled people for the project at the state MIC office here yesterday.
He said such a project, will provide the impetus for people with disabilities to remain independent and strive to get out of the comfort zone, as well as to reduce dependence on the assistance of various parties.
The selected participants will undergo training for three months before being employed by the hotel.
Riverbank Academy chief executive and founder S. Mahendran said the training organisation will be tasked to train and advise those who were interested to venture into various fields of work needed by the industry.
For the first time this year, Riverbank Academy will train people with disabilities and prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry. Their target are those between the ages of 17 and 40 years.
Amira Ismail, 23, a student of Suria College Johor who has learning disabilities, said such opportunities were very helpful and she was keen on learning to make a variety of pastries if selected for the project.
Navin Gopal, 18, said when the offer came to work in the hospitality industry, he grabbed the opportunity which was irresistible.
– Bernama