National Training Service making itself accessible and inclusive

SENA is a public entity for work training and human develop and the only one in Colombia committed to guidelines for inclusion. SENA has counsellors in its 33 offices nationwide and provides 117 mobile training centres for remote regions. In 2019, 1,543 jobs for people with disabilities were placed.

The National Training Service (SENA) is the Colombian public organization responsible for investing in the vocational training of the Colombian labour force. Established in 2014 , SENA works to include people with disabilities in its programmes through such measures as hiring advisors to support people with disabilities, providing sign language interpreters, and by working with companies to facilitate inclusive training. In 2019 SENA supported 1,543 people with disabilities to find work.

Problems Targeted

People with disabilities face difficulties finding employment due to a lack of personalized support.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

SENA works to ensure that its trainings and education services are inclusive of people with disabilities. Many measures are aimed directly towards them, such as the availability of sign language interpreters, training in the use of assistive technology and immersive readers, training videos provided with captions and audio-description, and adjustments to the curriculum design for training programmes. SENA also supports people with disabilities to generate their own income by providing resources to create small businesses . Other measures are tailored towards supporting organizations to employ people with disabilities, such as providing reasonable adjustments and coordinating apprenticeships, where SENA provides economic support and legal benefits to apprentices. In 2019, SENA supported 1,234 apprenticeship contracts, an increase of 5 per cent over the previous year. Between 2014 and 2019 it has provided resources to 53 entrepreneurs with disabilities, generating 175 jobs.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

As a public entity, funding is allocated from the federal budget and additional income is generated through providing professional training services, certification, and various investment projects . In 2019 the total budget was more than US$3.5 million, an increase of 18 per cent compared to 2018. SENA is in the process of eliminating all physical barriers to access in its 117 training centres, employment agencies, and business development centres across the organization, while also preparing for a certification in web accessibility for its training portal and other web applications. In addition, it will look to increase its efforts on inclusion of women with disabilities in the labour market.

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THE STORY OF JEISSON

“Independence, self-confidence, and quality of life”

Jeisson is a deafblind apprentice with SENA, a Colombian disability organization, who has trained in Comprehensive Early Childhood Care. In the Barro Blanco educational institution, he provides support and motivation to a deafblind child as part of his training process.