Al Tawasul Institute concluded the “Sharah” programme for jobseekers with hearing disabilities

Muscat: Al Tawasul Institute for Training held a closing ceremony to conclude the ‘Sharah’ programme in partnership with bp Oman- the first of its kind in the region - under the patronage of HE Dr. Bakhit bin Ahmed Al Mahri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, which aimed to develop skills among jobseekers with hearing disabilities.

’Sharah’ is a training programme that targeted 40 jobseekers with hearing impairments and developed their skills in Arabic, English and computer skills to help them advance in the labour market and compete for job opportunities.

Said Al Badaii, General Manager of Al Tawasul Institute for Training added: “Sharah programme is a unique programme that enhances the essential skills of people with hearing disabilities and focused on developing their interpersonal skills. Here at the institute, we use the highest standards of training across the Arab region and present various specialised programmes for people with hearing disabilities with highly equipped and experienced trainers. We aim to achieve a sustainable impact as well as maintain open communications with our target groups of all our programmes.”

The programme also included 26 capacity building workshops, outdoor activities and exposure to various fields such as literature, arts, history, and graphic design.

Ibrahim Al Hinai, Social investment manager at bp Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar, commented: “This programme truly empowers people with disabilities and the change is evident through this programme whereby the best trainees were able to become fully equipped trainers to teach other people with disabilities. This programme also enabled them to learn the skills so that they can compete fairly with other Omanis in the labour market. We look forward to seeing the impact and the success of this programme across the community and we hope it provides an example on how we can promote more diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in our society.”

10 participants of the Sharah programme managed to secure jobs at renowned companies, and 20 of them were trained to become qualified sign language instructors.