Post by bear on May 3, 2021 7:29:15 GMT 7
Pilot program aims to break down barriers for job seekers with disability
After years of feeling like she was going around in circles, Dina Bassile contemplated giving up on her job search.
As a person living with a disability, applying for jobs was not physically difficult. But the knockbacks she received were mentally draining.
“The majority of job applications do not ask if you have a disability, I include this information in the ‘additional comments’ sections or within my cover letter,” she said.
“As people have pre-conceived ideas of disability, I feel as though not many employers are willing to have a conversation with me to discuss what I am capable of.
“I would either constantly receive rejection letters or hear nothing at all.”
Ms Bassile, who now has a job as a project assistant with disability diversity and inclusion consulting organisation Get Skilled Access, now enjoys feeling independent “financially and in general”.
“I also feel a part of the team and enjoy the social interactions of being at work,” she said.
The federal government is launching a new pilot program to assess the barriers facing job seekers with a disability.
Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said five large employers and two small to medium enterprises would participate in the RecruitAble pilot to challenge misconceptions and develop a best-practice approach for the recruitment of people with disability.
“Getting a job and having a job is an absolute game-changer in everybody’s life and that shouldn’t be any different for somebody who has a disability,” Ms Ruston said. “It’s critical we turn the dial on demonstrating the huge business benefits of employing somebody with a disability.
“The pilot will test and develop inclusive recruitment pathways and processes to maximise employment opportunities for people with disability.”
Randstad Australia, a national recruitment agency, and Get Skilled Access, an organisation focused on building accessible workplace cultures, will deliver the initiative in 12 to 18 months.
Dylan Alcott, co-chair of the Disability Employment Advisory Committee and founder of Get Skilled Access, said the pilot program would help give people with disabilities confidence to access job opportunities through mainstream recruitment.
“We want it to be a game-changer for many who find the current recruitment processes difficult to access and often not inclusive. And best of all, it’ll be created and led by people with lived experience of disability,” Mr Alcott said.
Randstad Australia state director and National Diversity and Inclusion lead Kerry McQuillan said he hopes to share “best practice” to ensure all candidates have equal opportunity to secure their job of choice.
Findings from the pilot will help develop the National Disability Employment Strategy.
There are more than 2.1 million working-age Australians with a disability.
www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/pilot-program-aims-to-break-down-barriers-for-job-seekers-with-disability-20210429-p57nmp.html
After years of feeling like she was going around in circles, Dina Bassile contemplated giving up on her job search.
As a person living with a disability, applying for jobs was not physically difficult. But the knockbacks she received were mentally draining.
“The majority of job applications do not ask if you have a disability, I include this information in the ‘additional comments’ sections or within my cover letter,” she said.
“As people have pre-conceived ideas of disability, I feel as though not many employers are willing to have a conversation with me to discuss what I am capable of.
“I would either constantly receive rejection letters or hear nothing at all.”
Ms Bassile, who now has a job as a project assistant with disability diversity and inclusion consulting organisation Get Skilled Access, now enjoys feeling independent “financially and in general”.
“I also feel a part of the team and enjoy the social interactions of being at work,” she said.
The federal government is launching a new pilot program to assess the barriers facing job seekers with a disability.
Families and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said five large employers and two small to medium enterprises would participate in the RecruitAble pilot to challenge misconceptions and develop a best-practice approach for the recruitment of people with disability.
“Getting a job and having a job is an absolute game-changer in everybody’s life and that shouldn’t be any different for somebody who has a disability,” Ms Ruston said. “It’s critical we turn the dial on demonstrating the huge business benefits of employing somebody with a disability.
“The pilot will test and develop inclusive recruitment pathways and processes to maximise employment opportunities for people with disability.”
Randstad Australia, a national recruitment agency, and Get Skilled Access, an organisation focused on building accessible workplace cultures, will deliver the initiative in 12 to 18 months.
Dylan Alcott, co-chair of the Disability Employment Advisory Committee and founder of Get Skilled Access, said the pilot program would help give people with disabilities confidence to access job opportunities through mainstream recruitment.
“We want it to be a game-changer for many who find the current recruitment processes difficult to access and often not inclusive. And best of all, it’ll be created and led by people with lived experience of disability,” Mr Alcott said.
Randstad Australia state director and National Diversity and Inclusion lead Kerry McQuillan said he hopes to share “best practice” to ensure all candidates have equal opportunity to secure their job of choice.
Findings from the pilot will help develop the National Disability Employment Strategy.
There are more than 2.1 million working-age Australians with a disability.
www.smh.com.au/business/workplace/pilot-program-aims-to-break-down-barriers-for-job-seekers-with-disability-20210429-p57nmp.html
