Jobsplus[1], formerly known as the Employment Training Corporation (ETC), has a division, the Inclusive Employment Services to assist persons with disability. If you are a disabled person and are seeking employment, first you have to register as a disabled person with Jobsplus. You have to apply with a specific application form that can be downloaded from: https://jobsplus.gov.mt/job-seekers-mt-MT-en-GB/guidance-services/inclusive-employment-services. An appointment letter will be sent to the applicant with date /time and location of review at the address that has been listed on the application for the Jobsplus Medical Officer to carry out an assessment. It is important to note that the medical doctor will assess the employability of a client and not the condition/disability. The Medical Officer can either confirm or not confirm application request.

If the application is not confirmed, the applicant will receive a non-confirmation letter together with the certificates received at application stage. In this case, the individual may either re-apply to enter his/her name in the register; or opt to appeal the case, in writing, with the National Employment Authority. The individual will be guided on this process by Jobsplus.

If application is confirmed the applicant can either be given a temporary or permanent status on the Jobsplus RDP register. A card, with a unique number, will be issued to the applicant accordingly.

If applicant is confirmed by the Medical Officer and registering for work, they will be reviewed by an Occupational Therapist, who will assess their aptitude for work. The applicant will then be assigned to a Profiling and Guidance Executive within the Lino Spiteri Foundation (LSF) who will aid and follow them while seeking employment. The LSF’s role is to keep close corporate relations with employers and deal with individual persons with disability on a one-stop-shop basis, providing initial registration, advisory assistance and job search support and job coaching services to each registered disabled person.

Persons with disability registered with disability can benefit from various schemes and training initiatives including Pre-employment training. The aim of this training is to assist jobseekers to acquire pre-employment skills in order to adapt to labour market changes and requirements. The Bridging the Gap scheme is designed to support the client in the transition period from unemployment to employment. It allows the employer to evaluate the performance of the client in the workplace, prior to proper engagement.

Sheltered Employment Training is a one-year programme aimed at preparing individuals with mental, physical and/or intellectual disabilities for employment. Clients are assigned to small groups with job coaches who focus on punctuality, work ethics, independent living, communication and social skills. The Lino Spiteri Foundation Headstart Programme is to serve as a launch pad into employment. The programme is aimed at replicating employment in order to support individuals in increasing skills and employability. Quality and production outputs of participants are measured and opportunities of employment are targeted accordingly. A job coach assists the group in order to support in the attainment of their personal goals and a quality coach is also on board to ensure quality levels are achieved according to expectations. Whilst participating in this programme you receive a stipend.

More information can be obtained from:

Jobplus

Inclusive Employment Services Division

Hal Far Road
Hal Far BBG 3000

Tel: 22201402

Email: iesd.jobsplus@gov.mt

Website:

• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/job-seekers-mt-MT-en-GB/guidance-services/inclusive-employment-services
• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/schemes-jobseekers/bridge-gap-scheme
• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/training-opportunities/shelter-training
• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/schemes-jobseekers/job-bridge-training-centre

Lino Spiteri Foundation

Triq San Alwiġi,

L-Imsida

Tel: 22201761/2

Email: info@lsf.org.mt

Website: www.linospiterifoundation.org

Aġenzija Sapport in line with the vision of inclusion of persons with disability in all aspects of society, is currently operating the INK Project, an EU co-funded project, under the European Social Fund 2014 – 2020 aimed at increasing the inclusion of persons with disability in the workforce.

The INK project provides persons with disability with a 32-week programme consisting of training sessions aimed at improving their skills, followed by hands on experience through job placements.

The project lasts 32 weeks and is provided on a part time basis (20 hours per week, Monday to Friday). Participants in the project receive an allowance throughout the 32 week programme. This allowance is based on attendance.

Following their application to INK project, beneficiaries are assessed by the team’s Psychosocial Well-being Officers to assess their eligibility (persons are registered with a disability, of working age, unemployed and able to work following the training provided).

The 32 weeks are split between training and work placement. The first 12 weeks of training are split into training sessions on Generic Skills, Independent Living Skills, Digital Literacy Skills and Employability Skills.

This is followed by 8 weeks Transition phase, which may consist of practical training and site visits, and/or the start of placement. Participants attend training depending on their needs and their work schedule.

The final 12 weeks are dedicated solely towards job placement. During the initial assessment and throughout the training period, the INK team identifies the person’s abilities and interests and starts the job matching process whereby Job Coaches match the available vacancies to the beneficiaries’ skills and interests.

During the job placement Social Mentors offer job shadowing services to assist as much as possible the integration of the person with disability at the work place. Constant communication, guidance and feedback is also carried out with the employer.

The project also provides transport for the first 12 weeks of training, until the end of employability training. Following this transport training is offered in the transition phase.

In the case of any social issues which might come up, persons are referred  to the Psychosocial Well-Being Officer first and if need be, to a Psychologist. Participants are free to refer themselves to these services at their own request within the duration of the project.

The project also targets employers, parents, and frontline professionals, with training sessions intended to create an inclusive environment when employing persons with disability. Furthermore, INK has two project partners:

• Local partner: Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) as the regulator
• International partner: KARE, a leading disability support organisation in Ireland with over 50 years experience in the sector.

Interested individuals need to fill in the Project’s application form found on the Agency’s website www.sapport.gov.mt or may call Aġenzija Sapport on 22568000 and ask for INK project or send an email to: eu.sapport@gov.mt, and will be guided accordingly.

For more information on the INK project, please contact:

Malta Office: Patri Ġwann Azzopardi Street, St. Venera SVR 1614Tel: 22568000

Email: eu.sapport@gov.mt

Gozo Office: Learning Hub, Triq l-Imġarr, Għajnsielem GSM 9016

Tel: 21569909

Email: sapportgozo@gov.mt

Website: www.sapport.gov.mt

Facebook: INK Project Malta

For employers to benefit when employing you, you have to be registered as a disabled person with Jobsplus[1].

There are various schemes that support employers to employ persons with disability:

• Jobsplus supports employers who employ a person with disability by exempting them from paying the social security contribution due to be paid by the employer. Employers may also claim up to 25% of the disabled person’s wage provided it does not exceed 4,500 Euro a year for every person with a disability employed. Employers benefiting from the Access to Employment Scheme (A2E) will not be eligible to benefit from the latter.
• Access to Employment Scheme (A2E) provides employers with a wage subsidy of 125 Euro a week for 156 weeks for every new disabled person employed.
• Bridging the Gap is a scheme designed to support the people with disability in the transition period from unemployment to employment. It allows the employer to evaluate the performance of the client in the workplace, prior to proper engagement. Participants receive a weekly allowance of 80% of the minimum wage from Jobsplus.
• Employers who incur extra costs to adapt their building, acquire new equipment, modify existing equipment or give extra training to employ a disabled person, can have such costs deducted from their income tax up to a maximum of 20,000 Euro[2]. This scheme is offered by The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD).

Forms to register as a disabled person and more information can be obtained from:

Jobplus

Inclusive Employment Services Division

Hal Far Road

Hal Far BBG 3000

Tel: 22201402

Generic Email iesd.jobsplus@gov.mt

Website:

• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/schemes-jobseekers/bridge-gap-scheme
• https://jobsplus.gov.mt/employers-mt-MT-en-GB/employing-persons/employing-persons-disability

More information and forms for the A2E scheme can be obtained from:

Jobsplus

EU Funded Schemes Division

A2E Scheme

Hal Far Road

Hal Far BBG 3000

Generic telephone number: 22201399

Generic email: a2e.jobsplus@gov.mt

Website: https://jobsplus.gov.mt/schemes-jobseekers/a2e-scheme

More information about the last listed scheme can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, B’kara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

[1] The responsibility for the opinions expressed in this publication rests solely on the author(s), and the publication does not constitute an endorsement by Jobsplus of the opinions expressed in it.

[2] Amounts may be subject to change. Please always confirm with the relevant entity.

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) offers Disability Equality Training (DET) to employers. The training is free for NGOs and against payment for all other entities.

More information about the last listed scheme can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, B’kara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

The authority that can assist and employer in identifying the action that is to be taken to provide reasonable accommodation is the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD).

There is also the Workplace Accessibility Tax Deduction Scheme, where employers who incur extra costs to adapt their building, acquire new equipment, modify existing equipment or give extra training to employ a disabled person, can have such costs deducted from their income tax up to a maximum of 20,000 Euro[1]. This scheme is offered by the CRPD and more information can be found here: http://crpd.org.mt/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/004-101203_workplacexstaxded-1.pdf.

More information can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, B’Kara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555 / Gozo Office: 21556002

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

[1] Amounts may be subject to change. Please always check with the entity concerned.

An employer is duty bound to make reasonable accommodation for the disabled employee.

Reasonable accommodation for the disabled employee has to be weighed against undue hardship for the employer. So consideration has to be given to the nature and cost of the accommodation, financial resources of the business or facility that would require accommodation, number of workers at the work place, impact of the accommodation on the facility’s expenses, resources or operations, employer’s overall size, nature and resources and type of operations impacted by the accommodation.

Examples of reasonable accommodation are:

• Adjustments to the work environment, such as:
• rearranging desks, so that someone with a hearing impairment can see people approaching;
• modifying the height of desks or moving printers to a low table, and moving files to shelves that can be reached more easily by wheelchair users;
• modification of the height of equipment;
• provision of ramps and/or lifts and widening of doorways;
• providing quieter offices for people with sensorial disabilities.
• Provision of equipment, such as:
• Ergonometric or assistive equipment, such as an ergonometric mouse, an alternative keyboard or a different chair;
• Assistive software;
• Digital voice recorder
• Provision of support workers, especially in the training period
• Making changes to working practices, such as
• Reallocating work within the team;
• Agreement upon communication methods, such as using email instead of the telephone
• Provision of adjustments to working conditions, such as
• Reduced hours
• Teleworking

Shifting of working hours

If you are a person with disability and feel discriminated / and or harassed at work because of your disability, you can ask the Industrial Tribunal to investigate either through the Department for Industrial & Employment Relations (DIER), your lawyer or your trade union. You can also lodge a similar complaint with the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability who can take up your case as well, but not through the Industrial Tribunal.

More information can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, B’kara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

The Department for Industrial & Employment Relations

121, Triq Melita, Il-Belt Valletta

Tel: 21224245/6

Email: info.dier@gov.mt

If you feel that you have been victimised because you used the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability as you felt discriminate because of your disability, you can lodge a complaint with the same Commission to investigate and, if needs be, take the case even to Court. You can also opt to take the case to court yourself through your lawyer or your trade union.

If you feel victimised because you have used the Industrial Tribunal as you felt discriminated because of your disability, you can ask the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations or the Police to investigate. You can also opt to take the case to court yourself through your lawyer or your trade union.

More information can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, B’kara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

The Department for Industrial & Employment Relations

121, Triq Melita, Il-Belt Valletta

Tel: 21224245/6

Email: info.dier@gov.mt

If you feel that you did not get a promotion because of your disability, you can lodge a complaint with the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability to investigate and, if need be, take the case even to Court.

You can also take such a case to the Industrial Tribunal through your lawyer or trade union or by asking the Department for Industrial & Employment Relations (DIER) to investigate.

More information can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, B’kara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

The Department for Industrial & Employment Relations

121, Triq Melita, Il-Belt Valletta

Tel: 21224245/6

Email: info.dier@gov.mt

Yes, provided you are registered as a disabled person with the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) and are able to perform in essence the duties of the vacancy you are applying for.

In order to request reasonable accommodation in connection with an application for a post or position within the Public Service, you have to fill in the form found here: https://publicservice.gov.mt/en/people/Documents/People-Resourcing-Compliance/Forms-Templates/Other-templates/KNPD-Reasonable-Accomodation-for-Registered-Persons-With-Disability.docx. You should submit this form attached to your application for the post, together with a copy of your Special Identity Card / EU Disability Card, and a copy of a medical certificate from a specialist medical practitioner attesting your disability. The Public Service Commission will decide whether one or more eligibility requirements should be waivered (or not), and give instructions to the Selection Board.

More information can be obtained from:

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability

G5 Office, Triq Psaila, Birkirkara

Tel: 22267600, SMS only: 79788555 / Gozo Office: 21556002

Gozo Office

Sannat Primary School, Sannat Road, Sannat

Tel: 21556002

Email: helpdesk@crpd.org.mt

Website: https://crpd.org.mt

The employer is obliged to register your employment with Jobsplus by filling up the commencement form. You are expected to receive a confirmation letter from Jobsplus shortly after you start your employment. If you do not receive any, you can contact or visit one of Jobsplus centres.

Employers normally provide a payslip showing your payment of NI contributions. Moreover, you can either visit the nearest Social Security Office to confirm your contributions or check your contributions through mygov.mt. Please note, however, that the data available may not be up-to-date and it might take months before the data shows up.

More information can be obtained from:

Jobsplus

Hal Far Road
Hal Far BBG 3000
Tel: 22201402

Social Security District Offices:

Website: https://socialsecurity.gov.mt/en/information-and-applications-for-benefits-and-services/social-security-contributions/