Some of Our Parts

The Path from Mentee to Mentor

Christian Almeida has been supported by some incredible mentors throughout his career, something he says has been of enormous benefit to him in his journey to become Senior Financial Analyst at global technology leader, Cummins South Pacific. So, when the opportunity arose to become a mentor himself, through Australian Network on Disability’s PACE program, Christian jumped at the chance.

PACE Mentoring

Australian Network on Disability’s Positive Action towards Career Engagement, or PACE Mentoring, connects jobseekers with disability to mentors from leading Australian businesses. The purpose of PACE is two-fold: to improve employability for job seekers and students with disability, as well as to increase disability confidence in employees and mentors.

Christian was matched with student Benjamin Lung who was looking to learn more about how the finance function operates in large companies, as well as how to tackle interview situations, in preparation for when he completes his studies and begins his job search.

The pair immediately hit if off. At first, they used a questions and agenda sheet provided by the PACE team, but soon they were running their own race.

“After a couple of meetings, Benjamin had plenty of questions as well as some real-life scenarios to discuss,” said Christian.

“My mentor guided me in how to lead a team, giving me advice on how to negotiate and get the best outcomes,” said Benjamin. “I used my learnings in a group assignment at university where I was nominated leader, and we got full marks! It was great to be able to put his advice in to action and enjoy the rewards.”

• Read more about Christian’s experience and the PACE Mentoring program at Australian Network on Disability’s website

GradWISE Appointments Now Available at Clayton Campus

Exciting news! GradWISE appointments are now available at Clayton Campus on Tuesdays beginning February 4th, 2020 as well as Fridays at Caulfield Campus. 

To make an appointment email Edward today!  edward.osano@wiseemployment.com.au

Appointments are available:

Applications opening soon for Graduate Programs in 2021!

GradWISE has partnered with industry leaders, Telstra and PWC to help even the graduate employability outcomes for students living with a disability.

If you are a recent graduate or graduating in 2020, we have opportunities with Telstra and PWC that we can assist and support you with.

Applications Open February 2020

If you are interested in any of the below fields, this opportunity could be for you!

• Engineering
• Cyber Security
• Technology Consulting
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Data Analytics
• Information Technology
• Consulting
• Tax
• Legal
• Infrastructure

GradWISE complements existing support provided by Monash by offering a customised coaching program in a one-on-one setting. Its aim is to give you the skills and experience you need to find the perfect graduate role.

GradWISE will work with you, and its pool of employers, to make the perfect match and provide all the support you need before and during your employment.

Please get in contact with Ed Osano, Head of GradWISE, at edward.osano@wiseemployment.com.au if you are interested to apply!

Equity Fellowship – Research Associate Opportunity

David Eckstein, a careers practitioner for university students with disability and 2020 Equity Fellow at the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education, is seeking to appoint a part-time researcher to assist with a research ethics application and the design, administration and analysis of national surveys, round table discussions and select university case studies. Payment is set within the Swinburne Academic A salary range up to ACA-6 (at Swinburne ACA-6).  Experience with conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis is required.

The start date for the project is February 2020.  The position would suit a current PhD candidate or post-doctoral researcher.

The Fellowship Project

The Fellowship project aims to add disability to the national conversation about graduate employment by identifying best-practice initiatives and developing open access tools for all universities to use. Graduate employability outcomes are not equitable for students with disability. In a rapidly changing labour market, they are likely to get worse without targeted efforts. Currently, few universities are proactively addressing this issue.

Swinburne is leading innovation with its AccessAbility Careers Hub, a partnership between Careers & Employability, AccessAbility Services and WISE Employment. Building on the experience of the Hub as well as primary data collection and consultation with key stakeholders across Australia, the Fellowship will provide evidence-informed guidance to universities to develop institutionally-specific strategies to support students with disability transition to the workforce.

A National Community of Practice

As an Equity Fellow, David will establish a national community of practice and host an inaugural summit on strategies to support graduate employment outcomes of students with disability. More details are available on the NCSEHE website.

To express your interest please email David Eckstein deckstein@swin.edu.au

Applications Open NOW for Mentoring Positions!

Please note that applications for Australian Network on Disability’s mentoring program, PACE Autumn 2020 are now open, and are closing at the end of February 2020.

Another Paid Internship Opportunity Available

AND has another paid internship opportunity available! The position is for 3 months with commencement in late-January 2020.

• Latrobe City Council (Morwell) – Organisational Development Officer Intern

The intern will provide professional and administrative support and assistance to the Organisational Development team. Main tasks would include:

• Sourcing and scheduling training
• Set up and pack up of training venue
• Ordering catering, purchase orders and general administration
• Administration of performance appraisal system
• Administration of learning management system
• Facilitate some training (i.e. corporate induction)
• Some travel required

The role is open to current University students in their penultimate or final year of study, and TAFE students studying a Cert IV or above. The role is also open to those who have recently graduated. If this sounds like you, or someone you know, please apply here or you can visit the Students page of the Connect50 website to apply or download the Position Description. Applications for the role are open until Sunday January 12^th 2020.

*P.S. From all of us at DSS, we hope you have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year. Our office will re-open on 2 January 2020.

If you watched the 2018 ABC TV series Employable Me as it followed people with neuro-diverse conditions such as autism and Tourette Syndrome looking for work, then you came across the Xceptional, an IT recruitment firm (that gave Tim a job).

Founded by Mike Tozer as a tech service in 2017, Xceptional quickly evolved into employing people on the spectrum as software testers and data analysts. It set itself an ambitious goal of helping 1000 people find work, having already put 30 candidates in specialised IT roles.

“Our growth to date speaks to the incredible opportunity in placing neurodiverse candidates in specialised roles and shattering any stigma around hiring these candidates,” he said.

“Those on the autism spectrum, for example, often have remarkable attention to detail and advanced problem-solving skills, making them ideal candidates for complex code testing tasks.” – Mike Tozer, Xceptional’s CEO

Read more on the Startup Daily online article.

JOIN THE TEAM! – Job Opportunities with I CAN Network

I CAN Network are very proud to be Australia’s largest Autistic-led organisation and currently provide paid employment opportunities to more than 30 Autistic young adults and adults across Australia.

They are particularly keen to attract and develop Autistics as mentors to meet the rapidly growing demand for our group mentoring via online and face-to-face programs, as the Autistic-lived experience is a cornerstone of our work.

I CAN also welcomes outstanding team members who, although not Autistic themselves, are passionate about supporting Autistic young people and view them through a strengths-based lens.

Mentoring Positions Available

Four Current Internships Available through Connect50

Connect50 (https://connect50.org.au/) is part of the Victorian Government’s economic participation plan for people with disability 2018-2020 and will be supporting 75 internship opportunities in regional Victorian organisations across Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, and the Latrobe Valley, and 10 internships in Victorian Disability Advocacy Organisations from now until February 2021. Internships will generally occur during the Winter and Summer semester breaks, but may also be announced at other times during the year.

There are 4 current opportunities advertised for the Summer 2019 / 2020 cohort on the Students page of the Connect50 website (https://connect50.org.au/students/) and they’re expecting another Legal Intern opportunity at Coulter Roache (Geelong) any day now.

Currently advertised opportunities include:

• Harwood Andrews (Geelong) – Legal Intern
• TAFE Gippsland (Morwell / Traralgon) – Report Writer Disability Action Plan Intern
• GForce Employment Solutions (Geelong) – Project Assistant Intern
• VALID (Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with Disability) (Melbourne – Richmond) – Project Officer Intern

The internship roles run for 152 hours over the Summer semester break (Dec – Feb, actual dates TBC) and are open to students in their penultimate or final year of University, or studying a Cert IV or above at TAFE, who identify as having disability.

The formal closing date for the opportunity is Friday November 15^th, however applications will be left open until there are suitable candidates confirmed.

Students are asked to apply as soon as able so that interviews can be conducted and students can be offered pre-program support.

Students can also join the mailing list, to hear about opportunities as they are announced, via the Students page of the site or via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/73579LR

Current Internship Details

Internship No. 1

The first internship is a Legal Intern role at Harwood Andrews (Geelong), this role is open to Law students in their penultimate or final year of study.

This internship will provide some insight as to what it is like working in a law firm.  The successful candidate will get a practical hands on experience, working in a couple of different practice areas.

Harwood Andrews has advised that they are also open to placing the intern in a practice area that is of interest to them (if possible).

Internship No. 2

The second is for a Project Assistant Intern at GForce (Geelong). This intern will provide assistance and support in the delivery of a targeted project that will promote the benefits of employing persons with disability.

The opportunity is open to University students studying any degree – Business, HR, or Marketing desirable but not required – and TAFE students studying Cert IV and above.

Internship No. 3

The third internship is for a Disability Action Plan Report Writer role at TAFE Gippsland (based in Morwell / Traralgon) that is open to both eligible University and TAFE students studying any course.

The successful candidate will contribute to TAFE Gippsland’s commitment to provide an accessible educational environment by: Seeking feedback from relevant stakeholders as to the initiatives and actions required to create an accessible educational environment; and by assisting with the drafting and development of a Disability Action plan in line with policy requirements with stated actions, agreed time-frames and measurable outcomes.

Internship No. 4

The final and fourth internship opportunity is for a Project Officer Intern at VALID (Richmond / Melbourne).

VALID has received funding to run a project that focuses on identifying the barriers to effective disability support that people with intellectual disability face when they are involved in the criminal justice system. The Justice For All project has a number of key components, including the development of a Peer Action Group (PAG). The PAG will be comprised of people with intellectual disability who have lived experience of the criminal justice system, and will meet monthly to identify a range of systemic issues they would like to work on.

The successful candidate will support the work of the Advocacy Coordinator to develop and recruit participants to the Peer Action Group. This opportunity is open to University students in their penultimate or final year of study, ideally studying Social Work, Criminology, Community Development, or Law.

For more information contact:

• Emma Henningsen, Project Manager, Australian Network on Disability
• Level 1, Suite 1.08, 2 Queen Street, Melbourne, 3000
• T (03) 9629 2871 | W www.and.org.au  | E emma.henningsen@and.org.au

Re-thinking the Workforce: Seeing Machines Embrace an Innovative Pathway to Disability Employment

*From JobAccess

Road accidents involving commercial vehicles are a common cause of casualties worldwide.

In Australia alone, there were nearly 150 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks during the 12 months to March 2019¹. Canberra-based technology company Seeing Machines aims to change this.

Seeing Machines is at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) technology that equips machines to decipher facial expressions.

Preventing Accidents Through Technology

It uses its proprietary Guardian technology to help prevent accidents and improve safety through real-time driver monitoring and reporting of high-risk behaviours such as fatigue and distraction. So far, the technology has helped detect over 4 million distraction events and, over the past year, intervened in more than 109,000 instances of fatigue.

Until recently Seeing Machines offered 24-hour support to global logistical and transport enterprises from its Guardian Centre in Tucson, Arizona in the United States. An operational review to adopt a ‘follow the sun’ approach saw Seeing Machines launch a new monitoring centre in Canberra to share services with Tucson.

Encouraging Disability Employment

With a view to encourage disability employment, Seeing Machines introduced Project Embrace – an initiative to create targeted opportunities in Canberra for the local community of neuro-diverse candidates, including people on the autism spectrum.

*To read more, see the original JobAccess article.

Workplace Adjustments in Best-Practice Organisations

The Centre for Workplace Leadership, in consultation with the Australian Network on Disability, examined ‘best-practice’ organisations in Australia to understand how they utilised workplace adjustments towards the inclusion of people with disability in the workplace.

Twenty-six Australian organisations from the private, public and for-purpose sectors participated in the research, from which 48 managers and employees were interviewed about their implementation of workplace adjustments.

A series of findings and recommendations focused on systems and processes that contribute to inclusive workplaces are outlined in the final report: Improving Access and Inclusion in Employment for People with Disabilities.

*To read more, go to Australian Network on Disability’s web site.