Tongans who teach vocational skills are taking part in a program this week to strengthen their own training and support skills when working with disabled people.

Tonga Skills is hosting the program for 20 people coming from government ministries, training institutions and non-government organizations. The two-part training runs from March 14-20 and May 16-22.

The “Disability Inclusive Training Approaches” program is designed for trainers and training providers working in the Tonga Vocational Education Training (TVET) sector. It will help participants understand different types of disabilities and the range of barriers to disability inclusion in training or paid work, and also help them to display a positive attitude towards training participants with disabilities and demonstrate improved confidence in engaging with people with a range of disabilities.

They will also learn how to adapt their curriculum content, training methodologies and assessment techniques so that they are more accessible and equitable for people with a range of learning needs, literacy levels and disabilities.

Training is conducted by Annie Dares, who has worked in disability training in Australia, Canada and the Pacific for many years. ‘Ofeina Leka, President of the Tonga National Vision Impairment Association is co-faciliator.

Participants include representatives from the Social Protection and Disability Unit at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Education, Tonga Nurses Association, Women and Children Crisis Centre, Ma'a Fafine mo Famili, Tonga Health and others.