Jobs for those with disabilities
WITH almost two decades of experience in the broadcast industry, Durban’s East Coast Media has paved the way for young people with disabilities to seek careers in the field, and it happened by chance.
“It grew quite organically, in fact. Initially, we did not set out to be champions in this specific area, but we saw a great need for it, and created the opportunities,” said Rani Sitaram, director at East Coast Media.
She will be on the panel of industry experts speaking at the eThekwini Youth Indaba and Careers Expo.
The company, which started operating in 2000, saw a need not only to create quality work for clients, but to develop young people who wanted to explore the broadcast media world.
“We started a training college, called Movietech Film and TV College, soon after our company started. We saw there was a skewed legacy in terms of economic opportunities, and decided that we needed to play a part in creating access to this broadcast industry,” said Sitaram.
Soon after the academy began training young people, Sitaram said they created a learnership programme which also catered for people with disabilities.
“There was clearly a need for this, and we partnered with the Department of Education and created a channel based at the Open Air School for learners with disabilities in Durban. This gave a voice to people from all backgrounds. With this, we were the first to implement a fully-interactive workplace learnership that catered for able-bodied students as well as those with disabilities. We found that the education about this needed to happen with the student, and with potential employers,” said Sitaram.
She said employees with disabilities were often the most dedicated. “There are many positions they can assume, such as online editing and scriptwriting. I’ve seen many young people work those extra long hours to get the job done.
“Employers, in some instances, may need to create a ramp and offer transport to make working conditions less challenging, but it can be done,” she said.