Employment Office Praslin

[Bran Cardello]

ThePraslin/ La Digue Outstation Offices perform the same duties as those carried out on Mahe and focuses on ensuring that those actively seeking employment have access to employment opportunities and compliance with the labour laws governing Seychelles. On Praslin, the office is based at Baie Ste Anne and on La Digue, the office is situated at La Passe.

To play a vital role through employment related activities to build a productive workforce and to lend support to all efforts to enable the people of Seychelles to become self sufficient, enjoy decent work that leads to rewarding and enhanced quality of life.

The ASP office in the Horizon Complex at Baie Ste Anne was the first to be toured. The minister could familiarise herself with the staff, services being offered as well as received a guided tour of the office.

This was followed by the social services offices in the same complex and the Pension Fund Complex in Grand Anse. The delegation could interact with the small Praslin and La Digue teams comprising a total of 6 staff members. The team thus operates under stressful conditions to be able to meet the case load which is gradually increasing. Changes in the boat schedule between Praslin and La Digue, brought about by Covid-19 is also an issue raised by staff who have to commute between these two islands and find themselves left with fewer hours to cope with their condensed work programme.

The visit ended at the employment office in the Pension Fund Complex where the team of 11 Praslin and La Digue staff met with the delegation. The team welcomed the minister for a tour of their office and discussion about the services on offer and the issues faced by the staff especially now that the employment environment has changed drastically due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They shared that although many people visit their office eager to look for a job, there remains the need for a change of mindset and attitude towards employment.

The members of National Assembly had the opportunity to present certain suggestions of how the ministry can be of better assistance to the inner island offices and staff especially bearing in mind that these offices have specific requirements which often differ from that on Mah.

Today was a very insightful visit. When you are in the office and hear how everything comes together it is different from when you actually step out and see for yourself first hand; then it makes complete sense.

At present, there are a total of 322 registered Unemployment Relief Scheme (URS) applicants from Praslin, 241 have already been placed in various jobs while 30 are pending and 51 chose to drop out. 147 applicants are registered on La Digue with 122 already in placement, 23 pending and 2 drop-outs.

The NCC is housed at the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Our staff, consultants, and partners have years of experience in research, technical assistance, and training, as well as program planning, implementation, and evaluation.

The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) is a network of interdisciplinary centers advancing policy and practice for and with individuals with developmental and other disabilities, their families, and communities. Denise Rozell is the Policy Strategist at AUCD, working primarily on post-secondary education, employment and independent living and is the lead staff person for the NCC/AUCD partnership. Denise has twenty-five years of experience in disability policy at the federal and state level. In her role with the NCC, Denise provides technical assistance and support around public policy development in the area of postsecondary education for students with ID.

AHEAD is the leading professional membership association for individuals committed to equity for persons with disabilities in higher education. Stephan Smith, the Executive Director of AHEAD, is the primary contact for the AHEAD/NCC parternship. In addition to serving as the chief staff officer at AHEAD, Stephan has taken on increasingly complex roles in local, state, and national arenas advocating for the total and equitable inclusion of people with disabilities in higher education and the workplace. He also serves on numerous national and international advisory boards and executive councils related to people with disabilities, education, employment, transition, social justice, and civil equity.

Think College is a national initiative dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving research and practice in inclusive higher education for students with intellectual disability. It is based at the Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston.

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