Introduction

 

The Government is committed to addressing the challenges facing the vocational services sector.

The vision of the New Zealand Disability Strategy is that people with disabilities live in a society that values them highly and encourages their full participation.

Objective 4 of the strategy seeks to:

"provide opportunities in employment and economic development for disabled people" and "enable disabled people to work in the open labour market (in accordance with human rights principles) and maintain an adequate income."

In vocational services, this means doing all we can to make sure people with disabilities gain real skills and real jobs, and play an active part in the workforce and their community. Providing people with a range of opportunities for employment, with the same rights and conditions as other workers, is a key step towards inclusion.

Currently, less than half the providers of vocational services offer services that aim to achieve paid employment. For many people employment is a goal to be pursued, no matter how great the barriers.

The ability to participate in the community is also critically important for a sense of inclusion. While for some people this is achieved through work, for others it is through community-based activities, education and training.