Enterprise Partners (EP) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development (ECDD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) facilitated a full-day workshop to provide a disability inclusion training to Human Resource personnel’s and factory managers. The workshop took place at the Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP) on October 16, 2018.

The workshop began by addressing the key thematic topics for disability awareness including; the models of mainstreaming disability, workplace accommodations, social barrier removal and the opportunities, prospects and challenges of disability inclusion. There were 20 participants in attendance with HR managers and other HR personnel from Hela, Indochine, Arvind, PVH, EPIC, Isabella, TAL, Hidramani, KGG garments, Everest, JP Textiles and Sumbri factories. Several participating factories showed keen commitment to learn and build an inclusive work-environment for qualified employees with disabilities.

The Ethiopian Center for Disability and Development works closely with various organisations including government, non-government and community development programmes to encourage “disability inclusive development”, in Ethiopia. In conjunction with EP’s labour sourcing scheme, ECDD plans to administer the sourcing, screening, grading and allocation process of employing persons with disabilities to factories in the HIP.