Persons with disabilities are facing with numerous problems in Croatia, however many of them come from the area of education and employment. Complicated employment of persons with disabilities, are connected to inadequate education; that is lower formal level of education in comparison to the rest of the Croatian population. There is also complication from inadequate support of Croatian society as well. The educational system has also not been created in the accordance with the labor market needs in Croatia.
According to the State council for statistics of Republic of Croatia in year 2001 there were 429.421 persons with disabilities (circa 10% of total population). Persons with disabilities are one of the categories that are characterized by more heavy approach to open labor market. In June 2008 total number of registered persons with disabilities in Croatian Bureau for Employment was 5 400 which is 2,5% of total registered unemployed population in the statistics of the Bureau.
To provide professional help regarding employment of persons with disabilities it is very important to support their adjustment to a new working environment and also support the employers in organizing working process and ensuring work conditions for persons with disabilities. It is also of great importance to familiarize the employers with possibilities and specifics of persons with disabilities, making them more sensitive and aware about this population through presenting and further applying examples of good practice in other states.
“There is a need to react on several levels: from inadequate educational system to labor market needs. Apart from changing and adjusting educational programmes, more efficient and quality inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labor market consists of adequate change and adjustment of every individual, system and in the end, state itself“, says Mirjana Dobranovic, president of Association for Promotion of Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
Including persons with disabilities in the world of education and employment is a crucial factor of their full integration into society. Yet there remain certain prejudices toward persons with disabilities regarding their potential and capacity.
Natasa Odak, the winner of the award Employer of the year for employees with disabilities in 2007, who has hired persons with disabilities since 2002, said for one online job searching Internet site: “Persons with disabilities are extremely devoted to their work, focused, diligent and very often could serve as a role model to other workers“.
It is necessary to create a new model in Croatia that will connect education and employment in an adequate way and raise awareness of employers about the capacity and working potential of persons with disabilities. Association for Promoting Equal Opportunities to Persons with Disabilities (APEO) will work in the following year on creation of such a model, but it will need the help and cooperation of all relevant subjects in the field of education and employment in Croatia and more broadly.
Persons with disabilities facing employment problems
Inadequate educational system for persons with disabilities and consenquently, incoherence of educational programmes with labor market needs in the Republic of Croatia, make persons with disabilities in the Republic of Croatia marginalized and left to their own.