Disability Coordination Office ACT - Negotiating the Maze

Research tells us that school students who have part-time or school holiday jobs are more likely to gain employment after they leave school. This has been shown to be particularly true for students with a disability. It does not matter what type of work you do, it will still improve your later employment prospects. However, if you are going to get a part-time job, it makes sense to find one that:

gives you an insight into the jobs and work environments that interest you
has prospects to lead into more varied work
could lead into a work-based traineeship or apprenticeship after leaving school
you can get to by public transport from your home
matches your physical abilities
matches your academic abilities

Gaining a job isn't always easy. People often apply for quite a few jobs before being successful. You will improve your chances of finding a suitable part-time job if you:

use your family/friend network, and the people they know, to find the names of people and places with the type of work that interests you
send an introductory letter, along with your resume (a one page bullet-point summary of your skills, abilities, personal qualities and interests), to prospective employers
arrange to visit the workplace to find out more about the company and job opportunities
contact employers directly (by phone or in person) to express your interest in part-time employment or work experience

When you meet with a prospective employer you should be neat, clean and dressed to meet the boss, not dressed as you would to do the job for which you are applying.

Make sure that your answers to the employer's questions tell them why you want to work part-time and why you want to work for them. For example, 'I am interested in doing this sort of work when I finish school and working here will give me a much better idea about the job requirements'.

Always have a one or two thoughtful questions about the job or the company ready to ask at the end of the interview. And don't ever be afraid of asking for the job.

Whatever the outcome, it is wise to send a thank you note. It shows your motivation, loyalty, dependability and professionalism, as well as keeping your name in front of the employer for their next position.

2. Choosing the right subjects

When thinking about the course and subjects that you could do, these are some of the more important things that you should think about:

Interests

Do you like being indoors or outdoors? Getting dirty or remaining clean? Standing up or sitting down? Hot or cold conditions? Heavy or light tasks? Quiet or noisy environments? Active or passive tasks? Routine or varied tasks? Working quickly or slowly? Do you like being alone or with others? Do you get along easily with others or struggle to understand others? What tasks or subjects do you enjoy doing? Are there any tasks or subjects that you find particularly boring, that you know you wouldn't be interested in? What do, or don't you, like about them?

Disability Issues

Is there anything about your disability that would impact on you doing a particular course or certain subjects in the course safely? Are there any study requirements or practical tasks in a particular course you are interested in that you could not do? Do you have epilepsy, asthma or allergies and, if so, are there any triggers to avoid when undertaking practical tasks associated with your proposed studies? Do you take any regular medication that causes side effects that make some kinds of practical tasks unsafe? Be sure to consider these issues and identify and communicate the support and accommodations needed to assist you to perform the task or study.

Work Related Skill Factors

Think of your abilities in the following skill areas to help you decide which subjects you will do best in:

Verbal communication, e.g. serving customers, answering telephones, following complex verbal instructions
Reading, e.g. understanding signs, following instructions
Writing, e.g. ability to take messages, use order forms, write reports
Time telling, e.g. awareness of time of day, ability to judge time remaining to finish or to self-pace
Numeracy, e.g. counting quickly and accurately, measuring weights or sizes or distances, calculating quantities or mixtures or setting times

There are many ways to be sure you are choosing the right subjects. Try talking to other people. Find out about their jobs / or professions - ask what a day in the life of ... is like. Think about what career options you would like to explore further? How can you do this? Career Advisers can facilitate your exploration of career choices. There are Career Advisers at schools, TAFE, and university, as well as in the broader community. The more you talk to people, the more you will be exposed to a greater range of career choices enabling you to make a well-informed decision about your future.

Most importantly, be optimistic about your future and share that optimism with your teachers, family, friends and others.

3. Developing good work habits

Most employers expect their staff to behave in the following ways:

Arrive on time
Have a good attendance record
Dress suitably for the job
Be qualified to do their particular job or be willing to be trained
Think about the job and make suggestions
Be interested in the work
Follow instructions and accept directions
Ask for help if needed
Behave in a way that reflects well on the employer and workmates
Keep personal problems out of the workplace
Obey safety rules

You can develop many of these good work habits at school, in the home, during work experience placements or in your part-time job. Talk to teachers, parents and other people about working and earning an income. Ask them about the various jobs that people do.

Seek specific jobs to do around the house and ensure that they are done on time. Look for opportunities to do volunteer, part-time or casual work. This could involve distributing pamphlets, delivering newspapers, walking pets, watering and mowing lawns, weeding gardens, or cleaning pools.

4. Developing good social skills

Increasingly, employers are not only looking for the best person to do the job. They are also looking for the person who will best fit into the workplace, get on with other workers and be a 'team player'.

Use your free time constructively and productively by developing a range of hobbies and interests. Having interests looks good on your resume and also gives you things to talk to your future employers and workmates about when you do join the workforce.

Become involved in team sports. Team sports will not only help to improve your fitness. They will also teach you the importance of teamwork and what teamwork involves. Also get out and about in the community. Mix often and develop friendships.

Take an interest in your personal appearance and dress. Become physically fit through sport or a gym, being fit and healthy will improve your attendance, concentration and performance in all areas.

Talk positively to your family and friends about your future. Set high expectations for yourself - because people rarely achieve beyond their expectations.

5. Doing an Australian School-Based Apprenticeship

An Australian School-Based Apprenticeship is an excellent starting point to building valuable and marketable work-based skills. You will also gain a better insight into work and a much more impressive resume to show prospective employers.

On successful completion of a school-based apprenticeship you will gain a qualification that is nationally recognised by employers and registered training organisations. A school-based apprenticeship is another pathway to further post school studies.

6. Start Planning for post school

It is important to plan ahead if you are going to make a successful transition from school to work or further study. Research says begin mapping the road ahead when you are starting Year 9.

Your transition plan should be part of your educational program. This plan can include input from representatives of your family, school, community services and professionals.

Opportunities can then be made available to pace you through the transition issues, you can be supported to gain the additional skills you need to be successful post school.

7. Doing an Apprenticeship

An Australian Apprenticeship is full-time work based training arrangement. During the course of the apprenticeship you get paid, you gain work experience and you learn new skills in a hands-on environment. On successful completion, you also gain a nationally recognised qualification.

Apprentices must be employed under an Award or other appropriate industrial relations arrangements. Employers are required to provide:

Employment and training for the duration of the apprenticeship and every opportunity to learn the skills of the job
Necessary time off work to attend and complete the relevant off-the-job training
A working environment and conditions which contribute to skills development and meet industrial relations and occupational safety and health regulations

Apprentices also have certain obligations, which include:

Co-operating with their employer in order to achieve the desired training outcomes
Attending off-the-job, external or on-the-job training as required
Applying themselves to the agreed training plan
Completing all of the work set by the Registered Training Organisation
Keeping a record of achievements both at work and in training

Group training organisations also employ apprentices and then place them with one or more host employers during the course of the apprenticeship to ensure that they get an opportunity to learn all of the skills involved in a certain trade.

If you intend to undertake an Australian Apprenticeship, you may benefit from using the supports available through a Disability Employment Network service or an Australian Apprenticeship Centre. These types of services are increasingly working together to provide apprentices with a disability and employers with support and incentives.

For example, a Disability Employment Network service can support you by:

Establishing that you have the commitment and basic skills to complete an apprenticeship
Determining which apprenticeship best meets your skills and interests
Locating a suitable host employer
Locating a suitable registered training organisation
Negotiating the training program outline and clarifying your duty statement
Providing you with individualised on-the-job support.

8. Finding a mentor

We can all look back on our lives and think of people who were older or wiser or more experienced than ourselves, who gave us some valuable advice, helped guide us in the right direction, believed in us, stood up for us somewhere, or opened a door for us. Without their support things might have turned out differently or we might not have achieved what we have. These people are often called mentors.

Mentors are to be found in family circles, education, business, the arts, sport and many other areas. Mentors may assist in teaching, counselling, advising, introducing, networking, sponsoring, advocating, role modelling and encouraging. The relationship between you and a mentor can be more or less formal and structured, depending on needs and circumstances.

A mentor can assist you in any or all of the following ways:

Provide individual support and direction when you need it
Give you a greater sense of confidence and optimism about the future
Provide advocacy support when problems arise
Help to instil and maintain positive attitudes to study and work
Assist you to establish and achieve study and work goals
Improve your knowledge of available services at study, work and the wider community
Advise you on paid and work experience opportunities
Improve your job readiness, job presentation and job search skills
Help you link up with a suitable employment agency.

Mentors also say that they gain a lot out of being a mentor. They get to use their own life skills and experiences to assist students with a disability. They notice that their own personal skills and self-awareness levels improve. They learn to relate to members of the younger generation on an equal and mutually beneficial basis. They feel they have made an important and meaningful contribution and experience a greater sense of self-worth.

9. Registering with an employment service

The Australian Government funds a network of disability employment services throughout Australia that assist people with disabilities to:

Determine which jobs are best matched to their abilities, circumstances and aspirations
Locate suitable vacancies with suitable employers and represent job seekers to those employers
Modify workplaces and arrange assistive equipment to minimise the impact of their disability on work performance
Provide on-the-job support and provide ongoing back-up and advice.

It is advisable to register with a disability employment agency before you leave school for a variety of reasons:

You have to complete a Job Capacity Assessment which will determine your eligibility for the service, this can take some time
A number of them have waitlists and you may not be able to register immediately
Once you do leave school, the disability employment agency will know you better and therefore be able to represent you more effectively to employers.

10. Life Long Learning

It doesn't stop here ... as your career develops there will be further opportunities and the need to develop new skills. Be proactive to gain further skills and experiences through:

Further Education and Training
Employment
Community Services and Life Skill services

[1] Modified from careertips.net.au. This resource was developed by EDGE Employment Solutions Inc, Perth, Western Australia with funding from the Western Australian Department of Education and Training. The Careertips.net.au website is maintained as part of the Disability Coordination Office Program funded by the Australian Government Department of Education Science and Training.

Last Updated ( Monday, 07 May 2007 )

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