As we welcome our new Employment and Training Coordinator to the Carpentaria team, it is the ideal time to reflect on the past success of our Employment and Training program, and to look towards the future.
The creation of this new role enables Carpentaria to grow the capacity of our employment and training offering, and to build new connections in the workforce.
Employment and training at Carpentaria
Carpentaria is passionate about supporting individuals to make informed decisions about their employment and training. We are focused on achieving successful employment outcomes that align with an individual’s interests, goals, and desired skills or qualifications.
This new position will coordinate both Carpentaria’s Supported Employment and Training Program, and Vacation Employment intake. This year additional employment openings and opportunities for new applicants are available in both programs.
Employment and Training for people with disability
Jack sits down to discuss future opportunities and his training and employment experiences in Cafe at Harry’s Place.
Carpentaria’s Supported Employment and Training program supports people with a disability to gain meaningful mainstream employment. Participants can utilise their NDIS plan to gain work experience, training, certified qualifications, and paid employment. Opportunities are informed by Allied Health recommendations and the individual’s area of interest, providing a personalised approach.
While Carpentaria has established a successful training program through The Cafe at Harry’s Place which provides opportunities in the hospitality industry, there are additional opportunities across Carpentaria’s administration, grounds maintenance, and allied health teams. We are excited at the prospect of expanding this program.
Participants of our Supported Employment and Training program undertake certified qualifications while working in supported employment, delivered by Registered Training Organisations, and overseen by Carpentaria’s staff. Jack, a chef in our Cafe team, is an excellent example of the outcomes that can be achieved through the program. Working alongside experienced trainer Donna in the Cafe, Jack has completed his Certificate III in Commercial Cookery and is now working as a qualified chef.
Carpentaria’s Vacation Employment
This role extends to expanding Carpentaria’s Vacation Employment intake, where current full-time university students can undertake employment with us during the mid-year and end of year holiday periods. Interested applicants can find more information and apply here.
Vacation employment provides students undertaking full-time undergraduate study at university valuable opportunities to gain paid workplace experience relevant to their field. Positions can be offered across various areas within Carpentaria including Reception, the Executive Office, Human Resources, Allied Health Services, Work Health and Safety, Finance, Independent Living Services, and the Pathways Program. Carpentaria aims to contribute to the development of stronger knowledge and skills in new graduates entering the workforce, fostering opportunities for personal and professional development.
Meeting workforce challenges
With significant staff shortages apparent across Darwin, the Northern Territory, and ultimately Australia-wide, Carpentaria aims to inspire a community that is supportive and inclusive, while opening more opportunities for people living with a disability to make important contributions to our workforce. The last few years has shown us that employers can learn to be flexible, and that flexibility is viewed favourably by the workforce. These values and learnings can be drawn upon when considering how employees with disability can be supported in the workforce.
The final goal of Carpentaria’s Employment and Training program is to transition participants into a traineeship, apprenticeship, or mainstream employment. This will renew places for additional people to move through Carpentaria’s programs, while offering continued support to past participants.
Partner with Carpentaria
We want to hear from other organisations who are open to employing people with disabilities. Developing strong relationships with other businesses and organisations will help Carpentaria open the door to more people seeking employment and training. A visit to The Cafe at Harry’s Place showcases the friendly and enthusiastic nature of the current participants in our program, and their welcoming smile and eagerness to learn is everything one could ask for in an employee. Carpentaria is grateful to the local businesses who have been able to support opportunities with us so far; Blue Cycles, Crocodylus Park, Happy Trails Early Learning Centre, Ludmilla FaFT, St Paul’s Catholic Church Nightcliff, and Yogi’s Way have all provided beneficial work experience and employment opportunities for people with disability.
Future initiatives
As we visualise the future of these programs, Carpentaria is preparing for a range of events to be held later this year, including career information days, mock interviews, and ‘speed dating’ networking events, providing a chance for interested employers to meet with Carpentaria’s current participants and people interested in joining the program. These events will provide external employers an opportunity to share information about their industry, meet potential employees, engage in discussions around meeting the needs of employees with disability, and open opportunities in our collective community.
Any businesses interested in joining these events, or learning more about the process of working alongside Carpentaria to provide work experience and employment opportunities for people with disability are encouraged to reach out. Carpentaria is committed to working with NT businesses to facilitate employment placements for employees with a disability.
Looking to the future, we have grand dreams of where his position and these programs could lead – more industries, more organisations, and more opportunities for people with disability to obtain mainstream employment and contribute unique skills to our community.
Get involved
The Grounds and Maintenance team have a wide range of responsibilities, including developing and caring for our gardens.
We encourage anyone interested in these programs to seek more information or complete an application form on our website.
More information about our Supported Employment and Training program can be found here.
More information about our Vacation Employment opportunities can be found here.
More information about employing people with disabilities can be found here.
For further information, and to express your interest in collaborating with us, please contact us on 8920 9400 or email us at intake@carpentaria.org.au
See our general vacancies here.