[Sub ID 4008] Customised Employment in the Australian setting (Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice)

Submission ID: 4008
Organisation name: Centre for Disability Employment Research and Practice
Contact name: Mr Peter Smith
State: VIC
Contact email: petersmith1@westnet.com.au
Contact number: 0427813840

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young carers, Young students at risk of long-term unemployment

What need or issue are you trying to address?
Young carers and students are at risk of stagnation and marginalisation from the employment market. Young carers have indicated that they wish to pursue employment away from caring and marginalised young students all possess skills and abilities that they might not recognise and indeed may not be recognised by employers. This vacuum will create a downward spiral of diminishing expectations leading to potential exclusion from society and possible negative consequences as a result of marginalisation. Current practices of placing young people in a cycle of certificate training runs the risk of them collecting meaningless qualifications that don’t address their aspirations with etc risk that with these qualifications not leading to employment further damaging their psyche and leading to further negative consequences and marginalisation. We see this with many young people from ethnic groups that are being marginalised, not included in society.

What is your idea?
Utilising the evidence based practice of Customised Employment that has been developed to address employment barriers to employment for people with a disability in rural areas before finding it way into mainstream employment practice in the US for anyone with barriers to employment, we propose to trial this process in the Australian setting with two groups: carers and young students. Logistically it will be possible to deliver this trial at two sites across Melbourne and partnering with an interested party, who we believe that we could source easily. Whilst I have not looked at the definitive costs, it will be necessary to fund staff wage costs and expenses, along with some funds for research and operating expenses. The participants themselves should be able to access various allowances from the Federal government.