Abilympics

Russian Government Decision – Developing Abilympics, a professional skills competition for persons with disabilities – 3 March 2018 07:00

A decision was made on holding annual Abilympics, a national professional skills competition among people with disabilities starting in 2018. This will contribute to encouraging such persons to expand their range of professional activities, acquire professional training and find employment.

Reference

Prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science as per the President’s instructions issued on 5 December 2017 following a meeting with disabled people and representatives of public organisations and professional communities that assist the disabled (Instruction No. 50 of 13 January 2018, clause 1, sub clause l).

A directive was adopted to hold an annual Abilympics national professional skills competition for persons with disabilities starting in 2018 (hereinafter referred to as national competition).

Abilympics is an international movement whose priority is holding professional skills competitions for persons with disabilities. The international movement is the only professional skills competition system for the disabled. It emerged in Japan and has been developing throughout the world since 1972. Currently 46 countries take part in this international movement.

The Abilympics movement has been comprehensively developing in Russia since 2015. The movement has been joined by 75 regions of the Russian Federation, and 95 regional and three national competitions have been held to date. Employers’ associations, non-profit public organisations and associations of people with disabilities are actively joining the movement.

The competition includes tournaments of applied and professional competencies for which there is a market demand, as well as workshops, seminars, training sessions on developing various skills, and job fairs.

Abilympics competitions are an effective tool for assisting people with employment. In 2017, 92 percent of Abilympics participants were employed or continued training at the next level of education.

The Ministry of Education and Science has been instructed to establish an organising committee for holding a national competition and ensuring the national team’s readiness for international Abilympics.

Executive bodies of the Russian regions have been recommended to hold annual regional Abilympics professional skills competitions for people with disabilities.

The expenses for preparing and holding the national competition will be covered within the Accessible Environment 2011-2020 state programme. The funds for this have been earmarked in the federal budget for 2018 and the planning period of 2019 and 2020.

The annual competition will encourage people with disabilities to expand their range of professional activities and get professional education, and will help them with employment.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

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