JAMBA - online platform that connects people with diverse abilities and their future employers

Description

Funding:

NGO actions

Type of resource:

Job-searching platforms

Target group:

Persons with disabilities, Employers

Description:

JAMBA is a job-searching platform, which was launched in Bulgaria in 2018, developed by JAMBA nonprofit organisation, persons with disabilities and employers. The platform provides access to education, skills acquisition, and career start for people with various levels of abilities. Also, the platform addresses accessibility and inclusive education issues by offering online courses and training targeted to the attainment of professional or technical skills in various fields. The platform focuses on development of soft skills, as well as preparation for job interviews and practices of successful methods for integration in the workplace. Jamba supports persons with disabilities in their attainment of key skills and competencies in different professional fields, through trainings and internships. As a next step, the organization assists with their inclusion in the job market and even in their career advancement. The JAMBA site is accessible for people with vision impairment through software that includes text to speech functionality, is dyslexia friendly, includes interactive vocabulary and has translation functionality.

Geographic coverage:

Bulgaria

Pandemic relevance:

Level of education:

Higher

Education setting:

Informal

Digital tools involved:

Educational on-line platform Jamba

Timeframe:

Long-term

Sustainability:

Continuing

Competences aimed:

Accessibility
Digital skills
Social skills

Level of implementation:

Learner’s
Social

Importance:

Successful contribution to the implementation of UNCRPD: JAMBA contributes to equal access to education, acquisition of key skills and competencies, as well as career start for people with various levels of abilities.
Impact: By making use of the platform, persons with various levels of abilities can register to receive access to work positions based on their skills and qualification. They can take part in different trainings, online courses, or live sessions. Also, the platform connects employers with motivated and qualified job seekers with diverse abilities.
Co-production: The platform is developed in co-production with the Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Politics. The foundation that supports JAMBA, is a licensed labor intermediary. The co-founders of Jamba have experience in the non-government sector while collaborating with people with hearing impairment. JAMBA’s team includes a variety of experts among which are a sign language expert, involved in adapting training materials and information materials in sign language, as well as an accessible environment consultant.
Innovation: The platform is innovative for Bulgaria, since it offers support, trainings, online courses for people with various levels of abilities and access to work positions based on their skills and education. JAMBA uses software for web access for the blind and persons with vision impairment. This is an innovative web access solution based on the cloud services that enables the users to personalize a web site according to their own needs in order to use it at their convenience.
Prospects: The development of the platform relies on a stable team of specialists, including an expert in business development and development of digital technologies, an expert in communication and digital marketing, all of whom are working for the future activity, sustainability and scaling-up of JAMBA.
Accessibility and inclusive education: The platform addresses accessibility and inclusive education issues by offering online courses, trainings targeted to the attainment of professional or technical skills in various fields. The JAMBA site is accessible for persons with vision impairment through software that includes text to speech functionality, is dyslexia friendly, includes interactive vocabulary and has translation functionality.