With reference to the statement by The Hon. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca regarding the ETC initiatives towards persons with disabilities, (TMID, 18 July), the Corporation would like to mention that, in the past three years, the ETC Supported Employment Section have placed sixteen persons with disabilities in an employment. Another seventy-five persons were given a job opportunity through one of our schemes, known as the Bridging the Gap Scheme.

The ETC has teamed up with the Eden and Richmond Foundations in order to provide specialised training. The Corporation referred 133 persons with disabilities during the same period, while 476 received training at the ETC.

As from January 2005, the Supported Employment Scheme, part-financed by the European Social Fund of the European Union, was introduced. Seventy-one persons were enrolled in this scheme and, to date, fifty-one are still in the same employment which they found through this scheme. For forty-one of these persons, this was the first employment.

Notwithstanding the challenges faced, one has to note that the ETC is committed to make every effort to achieve even better results and to keep placing its clients in gainful employment.

Jonathan Brimmer

Communications & Marketing Executive

Employment and Training Corporation

Hal Far