| Syazwani Hj Rosli |
FIVE youth officially received their scholarships for the UnikLearn Autism Vocational Training and Internship programme yesterday in a signing ceremony at the iCentre in Anggerek Desa.
The scholarships are sponsored by An-Nur Harapan Sdn Bhd and Progresif Cellular Sdn Bhd.
Chairman of An-Nur Harapan Sdn Bhd Pengiran Haji Salleh Ab Rahaman bin Pengiran Haji Damit presented the scholarships.
The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah, followed by welcoming remarks from Startup Brunei Project Manager Rasyidah binti Samah, and a speech by An-Nur Harapan Board member Noorsurainah Tengah.
The five scholarship recipients – Muhammad Zulfadzli bin Haji Matali, Mohd Syahmi bin Haji Juma’at, Muhammad Hafizuddin Hussain bin Haji Md Yusuf Thani, Md Firdaus bin Haji Jimidin and Muhammad Syahrul Izzam bin Asmat, who are the first batch of students for the programme, will commence their six-month course today at the SPARK Lifeskill Centre in Jangsak.
Speaking about the programme, Noorsurainah said, “An-Nur Harapan is pleased to assist the candidates by way of funding their UnikLearn vocational training.
“We look forward to seeing these youth progress and develop, and be eventually equipped with the skills to gain employment upon completion of the programme and become contributing members of society.”
She added that An-Nur Harapan’s goal is to “ultimately become partners with its clients, the scholarship recipients, their parents and guardians, private and public sector stakeholders, as well as the community at large, to increase student intake, improve the students’ capacities and open up more job placement opportunities for them”.
She continued, “To put it simply, we want the students to be part of and assimilate into society. We do this by recognising both their strengths and weakness, and working with them, as we would with anyone else. Our efforts start with these five trainees at UnikLearn, who will then begin their placement at Unikkone, an affiliated training centre, before going into gainful employment.”
UnikLearn is a vocational training and internship programme designed by professional therapists for autistic youth, with the mission of empowering young adults with autism into becoming independent and contributing members of society.
The programme encompasses intensive training and skills building in key skill areas facilitated by experienced therapists and advisors. Upon completion of their training, the youth participants will be provided on-the-job training and receive post-training support – including work transition support for subsequent internship or work opportunities.
The scholarships for the programme are awarded based on a few main criteria: the prospective students must have Bruneian citizenship, are 16 years and above, and are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or any other related developmental delay disorders (as confirmed after undergoing medical assessments).
Admissions for the scholarships are limited to a few slots for each batch. Regular intakes for the programme will however be made available, with the next batch intake scheduled to take place later in December this year.
Also present at the award ceremony were members of the An-Nur Harapan Board of Directors and management, representatives of Progresif, and other invited guests.