Great
Abilities
Helping Aussies with disability
into employment
Looking for your irst job when you leave school,
with no employment history, is hard enough.
For 1.2 million Australians* with a communication
disability, the challenge is even greater.
*Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers
Micheal Zink knew it would always
be tough getting his first job when he
decided to leave school after finishing
Year 12 and enter the workforce. After
years in the classroom he was eager
to find a job where he could do as
much work outside as possible.
But with no experience and a
speech disorder that made simple
conversations a struggle, Micheal
knew he needed help.
Micheal signed up with APM.
Working together with his dedicated
employment consultant Nicole,
Micheal started a personalised plan
to build up his confidence and find a
job he could do without the crippling
fear of being misunderstood or
rejected because of his challenges.
As well as helping with resumes and
coaching him in interview techniques,
Nicole was able to speak to
employers looking to hire staff.
When she told the owners of
Queensland Tractor Spares Ltd in
Bundaberg about her dedicated new
candidate they were keen to find out
more and invited him in for an interview.
Nicole spent time with Micheal to
prepare him for the big day and went
with him to the interview.
Micheal made such a good
impression that he was quickly
offered a role at the company.
“The smile that came onto Micheal’s
face when Lance asked him to start
work it was a very proud moment
for me.”
As part of APM’s post placement
support for job seekers who
successfully find employment, Nicole
still visits Micheal to make sure
everything runs smoothly during his
first few months in the workplace.“Micheal is learning new things every
day he works and is slowing starting to
communicate more with the employer.
He’s really coming out of his shell,”
Nicole added.
Micheal and Nicole worked with his
employer to put strategies in place to
make sure his speech disorder didn’t
impact his ability to work. Such as
having clearly written instructions so
he remembers what to do and how
to ask for help.“The smile that
came onto Micheal’s
face when Lance asked
him to start work it
was a very proud
moment for me.”- Nicole, APM consultant
Micheal Zink, found
his feet with a little
help from APMBusiness as usual for Micheal.