The Minister of Social Development and Family... launches the first of its kind professional exhibition in the State of Qatar, dedicated to the employment of people with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Maryam Al-Suwaidi:

• Qatar places great importance to the employment of people with disabilities.

• Launch of the first-of-its-kind guide for jobs and employment of people with intellectual disabilities and autism in the State of Qatar and the region.

Al-Shafallah provides its services to develop the skills of people with disabilities for professional rehabilitation.

Her Excellency Mrs. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of Social Development and Family, in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, Minister of Labour, launched the "Day of Professions for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism" in its first edition, which was organized by the Al-Shafallah Centre at its headquarters, under the theme of "ESHAM (contribution)", which expresses the goal of establishing a day of professions for people with intellectual disabilities and autism, as it carries the meaning of contributing to work for an agreed upon purpose or goals.

The "Day of Professions for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism", which is the first of its kind professional exhibition in the State of Qatar concerned with the employment of people with disabilities, aims to attract supporters and partners to learn about the skills and capabilities of people with disabilities and autism, and the services provided by the Al-Shafallah Centre to develop and empower them to integrate into society by providing job opportunities that suit their abilities and talents.

Receiving Her Excellency Mrs. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, Minister of Social Development and Family, and His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, Minister of Labour, were       a few students of Al-Shafallah Centre. Accompanying their Excellencies on the tour was Mr. Saif bin Ali Al-Kaabi, Acting Director General of the Civil Service and Government Development Diwan.

The Ministers of Social Development and Family, and Labour, undertook a tour of the various sections of the exhibition showcasing the key professions and jobs in which the students of Al-Shafallah Centre have been trained.

The tour's first stop was the photography section, where some of the centre’s students who have been trained to carry out this task were photographing the guests.

Their Excellencies then toured a dedicated coffee shop section, which was overseen and serviced by some of the centre’s members. They also inspected the integrated workshops for the production line of the Al-Shafallah Store, where the centre’s members produce and sell various products. Additionally, they observed the work being done by the centre’s members in the Qatar Airways production line. The tour also included sections for the sale of Almeerah products and agricultural products (Mahaseel)

Their Excellencies also toured the live cooking workshop corner, presented by the affiliates of Al-Shafallah under the supervision of Chef Nouf Al-Marri. Finally, they visited the flower arrangement corner, where the centre’s affiliates arrange flowers and prepare rose bouquets under the supervision of Holland Plaza florist

On this occasion, Ms. Maryam Seif Al-Suwaidi, the Executive Director of the Al-Shafallah Centre, stated that the organization of the 'Persons with Disabilities Professions Day' aims to attract supporters and partners to learn about the skills and capabilities of persons with disabilities and autism, as well as the services provided by the Centre to develop and empower them to integrate into society by providing job opportunities suitable for their abilities and opening up prospects for joint cooperation with all government and private sector entities. It also aims to invite human resources managers and employment officials in various sectors of the state to visit the Al-Shafallah Centre to learn about the capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities and autism in a practical, applied environment, to open up new training paths to ensure the provision of production lines and a safe and facilitated environment that enables them to obtain suitable jobs in various sectors. Additionally, it aims to raise awareness among employers and the workforce on how to deal with persons with disabilities in the work environment.

Ms. Al-Suwaidi said that the employment of people with disabilities in state institutions and entities helps them achieve independence in their lives, in addition to integrating them into society, which makes them capable of removing the obstacles and difficulties they face and achieving a better standard of living.

She emphasized that the Al-Shafallah Centre attaches great importance to providing vocational training services, as it is convinced of the importance of honing the capabilities of people with disabilities and developing their professional skills, which will help them in the future to obtain a suitable job opportunity that matches their abilities and achieves their financial and moral independence.

Al-Suwaidi also appreciated the unlimited support received by the Al-Shafallah Centre from the Ministry of Social Development and the Family in order to support the employment of people with intellectual disabilities and autism in various government or private sectors.

In another context, Ms. Maryam Saif Al-Suwaidi, the Executive Director of the Al-Shafallah Centre, announced the launch of the first version of the guide for jobs and employment of people with intellectual disabilities and autism, which is the first of its kind in the State of Qatar and the region. The guide explains the concepts related to the employment of people with disabilities and autism from a legal and legislative perspective, it clarifies the suitable jobs for them, and explains how to modify and adapt the work environment to suit their special needs.

In this context, Al-Suwaidi said that this simple guide serves as a reference that helps government and private companies and institutions understand the skills and capabilities of people with disabilities and autism and create suitable opportunities for them. It also outlines the guidance rules in the employment stages, starting from the job and job description to the personal interview, and even explains what to expect in terms of behaviours and how to deal with them in the work environment.

Ms. Maryam Saif Al-Suwaidi indicated that the Al-Shafallah Centre is working on several training tracks in the employment unit, including: the reception track, the warehousing track, the library track, and the office work track, which serve as a miniature work environment closer to the practical reality in workplaces. In these tracks, the target group is trained on job tasks according to the available jobs in the country that suit their capabilities.

On the other hand, Al-Suwaidi emphasized that the country has witnessed the launch of the Third National Development Strategy, which has provided opportunities for all relevant parties to participate in and benefit from the country's development. Among these priority groups are people with disabilities, as the strategy will work to classify and empower the priority social segments, which will help ensure their full participatory role in society and in building the economy.

In addition, Ms. Sheikha bint Abdulrahman Al-Badi, the Assistant Undersecretary for National Workforce Affairs at the Ministry of Labour, emphasized the Ministry's commitment to empowering people with disabilities, preparing them professionally, and supporting them to obtain suitable job opportunities to ensure their independence and integration into the labour market in private sector companies and institutions. She pointed out that the Third National Development Strategy aims to increase the percentage of Qatari nationals in the total workforce in both the private and joint sectors.

She also highlighted the importance of professional exhibitions in informing students and job seekers about the nature of the labour market and the jobs they can apply for, which increases their chances of joining the labour market. She mentioned that the "Careers for People with Mental Disabilities and Autism" day provides an opportunity for participants to learn about the skills and capabilities of people with disabilities and autism, as well as the services provided by the Al-Shafallah Centre to develop and empower them to integrate into society by providing job opportunities that suit their abilities and talents.

It is worth noting that the Al-Shafallah Centre, as part of its awareness plan, seeks to coordinate with government ministries and institutions by providing lectures and training workshops for employees working with people with disabilities on "skills for how to deal with people with disabilities," in addition to providing support and technical consultations on how to train for job tasks and adapt to the work environment.