Community
12 September, 2023
Initiative promotes ‘job readiness’
AFTER years of lockdowns and restrictions, life is slowly returning to pre-covid conditions.
Workers are returning to offices, businesses are slowly recovering from financial constraints and foot traffic is returning to local streets.
Workers are returning to offices, businesses are slowly recovering from financial constraints and foot traffic is returning to local streets.
But while business is making the slow road to recovery, many are finding themselves searching for staff to fill shifts to keep the doors open.
It appears there are lots of employment opportunities on offer locally but many vacancies remain unfilled.
“We are hearing from the business sector that they are struggling to find workers; we’re hoping to fill a big gap in the market,” Kim Watts, manager of the youth opportunities team at Brophy said.
Kim and her team recently launched a new program, titled YouThrive, which aims to help young people living with a disability become ‘job ready.’
“YouThrive is all about providing these young people, between the ages of 15 and 25, with the skills needed to enter or re-enter the workforce,” Kim said. “We believe there’s a big gap in the job market and we’re working to fill that through this initiative.
“We are supporting young people who have an NDIS plan and helping them to kick some of their life goals.”
YouThrive complements Brophy’s current offerings at the Warrnambool-based business, Tasty Plate, which gives young people on-the-job training in the food industry.
“Tasty Plate is a real success story not just for our organisation but for the young people involved,” Ben Clegg, employment engagement lead with Brophy said. “It offers training and skill development in a typical commercial hospitality catering setting. The skills gained are transferable to everyday life.”
The team at Tasty Plate includes experienced chefs, kitchen attendants and front-of-house staff who are also qualified disability support workers.
“Tasty Plate is a huge success and a program we’re very proud of,” Ben said. “We believe this latest initiative, YouThrive, will be an extension of that.”
The youth opportunities team at Brophy is now working hard with young people living with disabilities to ensure they have the skills needed to enter the workforce while also matching those skills with those needed by potential employers.
“We’re finding that not only is there a gap in the employment market but there is also a very real gap in choice for these young people,” Kim said. “For example, we had a young person working in hospitality who wasn’t really enjoying the role and had previous experience in admin work so we worked with them to build their confidence and approached a local business for some work experience – what began as a one day a week placement has led on a pathway to paid employment.”
Working with young people with a disability is both challenging and rewarding for the team at Brophy and they go to great lengths to ensure they not only provide the skills needed to be ‘job ready’ but also focus on everyday life skills.
“These young people have the capacity to work, some just need some help to discover their full potential,” Kim said. “But not every disability can be seen and we’re very mindful of that. These young people we work with face many barriers and challenges but it’s all about breaking down those barriers and helping them live an independent, rewarding and fulfilling life.”
The team at Brophy are eager to hear from anyone who believes they may be eligible for the YouThrive program, or know someone who would benefit from the program, to give them a call at the Warrnambool office on 5561 8888.
