Ashgabat, 6 February 2023 - An inclusive three-month training on programming, graphic and game design for people with disabilities started in Ashgabat as part of the youth project titled “Innovative education - a path towards inclusive society" implemented by the Center for Support of People with Disabilities of Turkmenistan under the grant program of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Turkmenistan.

The youth project is aimed at equipping twenty people with disabilities with professional skills for employment opportunities, be it distance working, freelance or start-ups. Specialists in the field of C# programming, user interface, graphic design, integrated development environment, soft skills and marketing were invited to conduct the training. The training methodology was adapted to allow the training participants to gain basic knowledge to continue their education on their own, taking into account the continuous development of the IT market. This will enable them to further adjust to the industry needs and be competitive in the market. Trainings are held at the premises of Public Associative "Yenme".

“A game designer is a storyteller, but he tells a story through graphics, gameplay, music, sounds, dialogue, and more. When I was writing this project, I caught myself thinking that every person is a treasure of stories that will resonate with many if they are told through the right tools. People with disabilities go through hard work and struggle with themselves for the sake of sometimes seemingly regular things. I decided that by teaching them the tools that I have, they will be able to convey their experiences, aspirations and ideas to everyone. Now, I see that the project participants are full of enthusiasm and desire to learn. Given their perseverance, I am sure that at the end of the project we will see that disability is not a diagnosis, but just a conditional clause on the path to success,” project leader Kemran Kadyrov emphasized.

By the end of training, participants will learn the basics of programming skills, application and game development tools, IT market analysis, resume writing and job search techniques, will become more socially adapted and will be able to actively use the acquired skills in employment.

“I am interested in learning computer programming, and I want to grow professionally in this area. At the first lesson, the trainer presented the material in a very accessible way. I am sure that I will be able to master all the new material and achieve success,” training participant Ilkhan Orazmetov noted.

“I want to gain knowledge and a profession. I think that new skills will be useful for me not only in getting a job, but also in other spheres of my life. I will try to find a job after completing the course,” another training participant Karina Mamedova shared her hopes.

The grant program to support youth leadership is carried out under the project “Building youth resilience through community engagement”, implemented by IOM in partnership with the Eurasia Foundation (EF) within the framework of the Social Innovations in Central Asia (SICA) program with the financial support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Strengthening the capacity of young people in development and improvement of well-being of local communities is one of the goals of the project.

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For additional questions, please contact:

Dovlet Chariyev

IOM Communication Focal Point

E-mail: dchariyev@iom.int

Tel:+99312 488407