Muscat International School, Grand Hyatt create opportunity for students with special needs

Muscat: Muscat International School (MIS) and Grand Hyatt on Wednesday completed a work experience programme for students with special needs called the Workability Project.
Students from the Special Education and Support Services (SEASS) department at MIS have been visiting the hotel over the last few months, taking part in activities under this initiative focused on employability and work skills development.
The event on Wednesday was an opportunity to thank the students for their hard work and to celebrate their achievements.
Eyad Damrah, head of the SEASS department at MIS and vice-chairman of the Workability Project, said, “The project is a unique initiative to introduce young people with disabilities to new ways of learning in a real employment setting. The students learn about the world of work while employers learn about disability at the workplace and, in the long term, hopefully create additional opportunities for all in a supportive and fair environment. The role of the project is to engage the employer and then offer support throughout any activities that take place.”
Damrah said, “The aim is to educate, empower and enrich the lives of young people with disabilities. We’ve started the project with our own students from MIS but intend to broaden our remit and eventually work with other schools and associations that share our vision of improving the lives of those with special educational needs. This pilot experience has been a perfect example of a successful partnership. Employers are engaged on their own terms and can get involved with projects in the community at a level where they can make the biggest difference.”
Peter Ndirangu, Training Manager at Grand Hyatt, commented, “It has been our absolute pleasure to be involved in the project, working with a group of young and brilliant people who have really benefited from the experiences we can offer as part of our daily business.
“Not only have they developed their awareness of what it’s like to work in a busy hotel such as ours, they have also contributed in helping our associates live the Hyatt purpose of caring for people so they can be their best selves.”
Ndirangu said, “Based on their age, the abilities they have and the skills they need to develop to enter the world of work, a group of students was selected by the MIS. The idea was for these students to visit the hotel, with SEASSD staff from MIS, and learn more about our business. We have done this by developing a bespoke pilot programme of real-work experience and, over six weeks, they attended sessions to learn work and life skills in a vocational setting. It was a very easy decision to support this project and we look forward to seeing how things develop throughout the new academic year.”
Muadth Al Harthy, student at MIS, said, “It was a useful experience for me, my confidence has grown and I have learnt to express myself freely.”
Ruth Woodfine, a Workability Project Volunteer, explained, “The project helps to ensure young people have better life chances, better access to training and employment, improved life skills and a better quality of life. We are very excited to have been working with the Grand Hyatt.”