In conjunction with our advocacy work, AeT also provides opportunities for the students, the general public, tourists and built environment professionals to learn about functional urban environments that are inclusive of informal workers and better understand the realities of these areas. Tourists and the general public are encouraged to learn about urban informal workers and their environment through the Markets of Warwick Tour.
AeT also focuses on school learners, and mainstreaming inclusive design in school curricula. AeT has had successes with the inclusion of informal work and informal economy subjects included in secondary and tertiary curricula. Students of all ages are encouraged to engage with the urban informal working environment through a variety of programmes and projects including:
- school tours;
- exposure dialogues with informal workers;
- internships;
- research project work – including pre-schoolers designing recycling trolleys and
- award-winning Master’s architectural theses.
AeT also strives to document, promote and showcase inclusive urban spaces to built environment professionals and encourage replication of good design and planning practices. A key mechanisms for this work is AeT’s “Designing with Informal Workers, Utilizing Public Space”, a Continual Professional Development (CPD) accreditation course. This day long course includes desk-based work and exposure exercises that bring professionals and informal workers together through inclusive design.
AeT’s offices, staff and website offer a resource network and point of access for individuals and organizations interesting in learning more about the informal workers’ urban environments. Informal workers also utilize these resources, and benefit from training and education-support services offered by AeT including:
- occupational health and safety training;
- professional training;
- basic numeracy and business training;
- legal and regulatory education seminars.
