State first work skills program recognised for excellence in supporting Australian workers with disability

A NSW first work skills program, developed by the Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD) in conjunction withSouth Western Sydney Institute (SWSi) TAFE NSW at Granville, was recognised at the NSW Disability Industry Innovation Awards for increasing the skills of supported employees with disability.

The Employment Work Skills Program has been developed over a three year period and is the first of its kind to provide a fully recognised qualification within the NSW TAFE system.

The Employment Work Skills Program was awarded the NSW Disability Industry

Innovation Award for Excellence in Workforce Development by Minister for Disability Services, the Hon. John Ajaka MLC, at an award ceremony held on 8 October 2014.

The Awards, run by National Disability Services, celebrate the many creative initiatives developed by non-government disability service providers and community groups who are thinking beyond traditional support models.

Cliff Haynes, Executive Director at AFFORD, says that skills development enhances the work life of people with a disability.

"AFFORD is committed to helping to improve the quality of life of people with disability and offering opportunities for employees to grow, learn and develop new skills."

"In assessing the skill development opportunities available to AFFORD employees, we discovered that there were no courses that were specifically designed to grow workplace skills in workers with an intellectual disability," explained Mr Haynes.

"The Employment Work Skills Program is the beginning of an education evolution; recognising that the 22,000 employees with disability across Australia are important contributing members of the Australian workforce who can be assisted to reach their full potential through structured and relevant training programs."

The three module Employment Work Skills Program is studied over eight weeks and covers subjects such as communication skills in the workplace; managing workplace information; and active participation in the Workplace Health and Safety process.

 On completion, participants receive a recognised TAFE Statement of Attainment in Employee Work Skills.

Ten employees with disability from the AFFORD Minchinbury factory were the first to successfully graduate from the inaugural Employee Work Skills Program and were presented with their Statement of Attainment in front of an audience of 150 parents, carers and fellow employees at a ceremony held at the Minchinbury factory.

Graduate and factory Team Leader, Lourdes Tabone, addressed attendees at the graduation ceremony and attributes her increased confidence to the Employment Work Skills Program.

“If you believe in yourself you can achieve your goals through learning and encouragement. I really enjoyed the course and learnt so much.”

All the participants reported that the course helped them to increase workplace knowledge, learn new skills and increased their self-esteem and job satisfaction.

TAFE NSW is now actively promoting the Employment Work Skills Program to other Australian Disability Enterprises throughout NSW as a significant skills development initiative for all employees with disability.

The Employment Work Skills Program is undertaken during work hours at an AFFORD factory site and employees are paid their full wage for the duration of the course. AFFORD factory staff actively mentor the employees throughout the course, providing coaching, encouragement and support.

The TAFE teaching team have heightened their skills to effectively communicate with people with intellectual disability and have developed course tools written in Easy English to ensure all participants are actively involved in the learning process and assessment tasks.

AFFORD employs over 450 people with disability in six modern factories across Greater Western Sydney. The employees have a wide range of disabilities, with over 70% having an intellectual disability.

AFFORD has been operating in NSW for 62 years providing a range of disability services to over 2,000 people with disability every day in Greater Western Sydney.

For more information about AFFORD, visit www.afford.com.au or call 1300 233 673.

ENDS

Media Contact: Maria Crema: Crema PR m 0402 239 929 e maria@cremapr.com.au

More about the Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD) - www.afford.com.au

The Australian Foundation for Disability (AFFORD) is a registered charity engaged in providing disability services to over 2,000 people in Greater Western Sydney. The services provided by AFFORD include: Accommodation; Respite; Community Participation Programs; Transition to Work Programs; Transition to Retirement Program; Carer Support; Disability Employment Services; and Supported Employment.