REGINA – SaskTel and the Saskatchewan Abilities Council have signed a newly created Letter of Understanding (LOU) to advance their joint efforts to increase and promote supported employment opportunities for people with disabilities across the province.
SaskTel has worked closely with the Saskatchewan Abilities Council in conjunction with the CEP in the past to customize jobs and has experienced first-hand the mutually beneficial outcomes of the program,” says Ron Styles, SaskTel President and CEO. “We are very proud to be the first company to create a LOU that not only solidifies our ongoing commitment to this partnership, but can also be used as a blueprint by other employers wanting to develop or enhance their own supported employment efforts.”
Supported employment is an approach designed to help people with varying abilities to find and keep meaningful employment uniquely tailored to their individual needs and abilities. It aims to remove the barriers that have in the past served to exclude this largely untapped portion of the current and future labour market.
“The Saskatchewan Abilities Council is pleased to formalize its longstanding relationship with SaskTel through a Letter of Understanding,” says Ian Wilkinson, Executive Director of the Saskatchewan Abilities Council. “The Council’s partnership with SaskTel is a real working example of the positive employment outcomes that can be achieved for individuals with disabilities in our communities when we work together towards a common goal. The signing of this agreement today is another significant step towards inclusion and full citizenship for individuals with disabilities.”
The LOU outlines the responsibilities and commitments of both SaskTel and the Saskatchewan Abilities Council in maintaining the supported employment program. SaskTel has been working for almost 10 years in collaboration with the Abilities Council to identify supported employment opportunities, and placed their first supported job candidate at SaskTel in 2003.
