Newsletter  

June, 2010

 

In This Issue

Jennifer's Story

Message from MD

Shawn

Jessica

Disability Advocacy Service

Complaints

Achievements

Job Skills Training

Contacts

Our normal office hours are:

Mon - Fri

8:30am to 5.00pm

Closed Public Holidays

 

RING FIRST

You are welcome to visit our office at any time during business hours, however should you wish to speak to a consultant, please ring first and make an appointment.

  If you become aware of any job vacancies please inform your consultant or let us know by calling 1800 641 537  

Dont forget to visit the website for more up to date news and information

www.workventure.org.au

 Jennifer's Story

Jennifer receiving her Evolve Certificate from Ipswich City Councillor Cheryl Bromage

Jennifer has been with Work Venture since September 2009.   During her time with us Jennifer commenced her Certificate III in Childcare at the Institute of Training and Career Development and because she has a learning disorder, found the course to be quite a challenge. However, with assistance from her Work Venture consultant and additional support from her trainer, she successfully completed the course in March. As a result of her success Jennifer is now employed at Bush Kidz at Brassall. Her employer commented that she is a respected and valued member of their team and that Jennifer is considering further study to acquire her Diploma which will enable her to become a Group Leader. 

Jennifer was one of the first to participate in our Evolve Program. Evolve is a short program for women of all ages to assist them to become job ready. Jennifer believes this course helped her immensely not just in preparing her for the workforce  but has also  given her some direction in her personal life.

Jennifer is the proud owner of a new vehicle and is in the process of acquiring her drivering license.

Jennifer has shown that through commitment, determination and the desire to succeed how a person can achieve their goals despite some barriers and adversity along the way.

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  Message from the Managing Director

 From the 1st March 2010 the Australian Government's disability employment services changed. Work Venture became a Disability Employment Service provider. Under Disability Employment Services, all eligible job seekers with disability, injury or health condition will be able to receive assistance from an employment service provider to prepare for, find and keep a job. There are no waiting lists so those eligible will receive the right assistance as early as possible. There will be more focus on education, training and skills development to increase the chances of getting and staying in a job. We hope these changes will better enable us to help you achieve your employment goals.

     Alison

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 Congratulations Shawn 

Shawn had been with Work Venture previously to find work and had returned to us to assist him to find work in a different field.  Shawn had a preference for Administration and although it has been a challenge to find a suitable position,  Ipswich Community Aid at Springfield were able to accommodate Shawn and offered him an admin. position.  Shawn then had the challenge of getting to and from work as he has Cerebral Palsy and relies on others to load and unload his wheelchair from his car.

Work Venture and Job Access were able to overcome this issue and arranged for Government funding to assist Shawn to get a chair lift for his car.  He is now able to go to and from work without assistance and has said he is overwhelmed by the freedom he now experiences.  He has now been offered a traineeship in Community Services through ICA Springfield and will complete this during the next twelve months whilst continuing his work and helping others in the community. 

Well Done Jessica

Jessica has been looking for work whilst at school and tried some work experience in a pet store and a library, before deciding that books were her real love.  We applied for positions in libraries and bookshops and Narissa , our Business Development Consultant, approached Angus and Robertson.

Megan Johnstone, the manager there, was very interested in helping place Jessica into a suitable job and after  interviews and discussions with her managers, the school, parents and the training organisation, Megan offered Jessica a school based traineeship.  Jessica is now working very hard to finish  the traineeship and will also complete her senior year at school in 2010.  She is smiling from ear to ear at work and is about to take a holiday with her family. I imagine her new income will be helpful for the holiday and may also be spent on - you guessed it - BOOKS!

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Disability Advocacy Service

Ipswich Regional Advocacy Service Inc. (IRASI) may be able to assist you if you need help with problems including:

  • Applying for individual funding
  • Involvement with the police
  • Court Support
  • Tribunal Support
  • Discrimination
  • Abuse and neglect

Their Mission Statement says that their service educates and support persons to uphold their legal and human rights through free information, referral, advice and advocacy.

We would recommend you call them on (07) 3281 6006 to discuss your problem .

 They are also contactable via email on idas7@bigpond.com

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Complaints

As per Disability Standard 7 it is a requirement for us to have in place an open and accessible process for making a complaint about any facet of our service where you feel we may have let you down. You have the right to complain about our service without fear of retribution and be assured that these complaints will be dealt with promptly in an open and unbiased manner.

If you feel there is a problem, please let us know about it and allow us to fix it. We always strive to do our best for our clients but understand that occasionally there are issues that may arise through misunderstandings and miscommunication .

You can discuss this with your consultant if you wish. We would like to think that we can resolve issues at the local level whenever possible as this usually gives the swiftest resolution.

If you feel uncomfortable talking to your consultant you may ask to speak to our Client Liaison Officer, Maree Stamerjohann. Her role is to liaise between you and management to have your problem resolved quickly.

If you are unable to get a satisfactory resolution to your problem at this level, you most certainly have the right to escalate the problem internally to our Managing Director or the Board of Directors should you so desire.

There are further opportunities to escalate the issue to an external Complaints Resolution and Referral Service.

We strive to do our best and act in your best interests and if at any time we do appear to have made an error, we welcome the opportunity to rectify it and, if necessary, make improvements to our processes, procedures or training to prevent further similar problems . 

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Achievements

Congratulations to the following for their success in gaining employment:

  • Cameron - Computer Technician
  • Craig - Meat Processor
  • Alex - Customer Service
  • Jackalin - Cleaner
  • Kristina - Office Assistant
  • Deborah - Administration
  • Julie - Personal Carer
  • Clinton - Apprentice Baker
  • Adam - Packer
  • Matt - Storeperson
  • Troy - Labourer
  • Alex - General Hand
  • Katherine - Meat Processing
  • Michael - Fork Lift Driver
  • Jamie - Security Officer
  • Scott - Security Officer
  • Carl - Cook
  • Shawn - Administration
  • James - Horticulture Traineeship
  • Jeffrey - Trainer
  • Shannon - Kitchen Hand
  • Brian - Meat Assistant
  • Tiffany - Florist Assistant
  • Norman - Nursery Hand

The following are to be congratulated for completing their courses

  • Jeffrey - Cert III Hospitality and Cert IV Training & Assessment
  • Jamie - Class 1 Security Provider Licence and Traffic Controllers Course
  • Gary - Learner Driver Permit Course
  • Craig E - Class 1 Security Provider Licence
  • Alex - Cert II in IT
  • Craig N - Class 1 Security Licence
  • Tiffany - Cert. II in Floristry

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Job Skills Training 

We continuously run job skills training in our office on a number of topics that will assist you to become job-ready and prepare you for interviews, employment and more. Some of the topics covered are:

Are you job ready?

Choosing a Career * How to Prepare for any Job Role * Communication in the Workplace * Rules and Legal Requirements.

Working Attitude

Attitude and Personality * Your Attitude and Others * Good Workplace Habits * Teamwork and Co-operation * Addressing Attitude

Self Esteem

Self Esteem Reflection * Self Esteem Activity * Personal Hygiene Checklist

First Impressions?Winning over the Boss

Preparing to Start Work * Induction and Training * Working with Others * Dealing with Problems

10 Things not to do at an Interview

Punctuality * Bad Presentation * Bad Preparation * Lack of Research * Poor Communication * Bad Body Language *Negativity * Anxiety * Not Being Yourself * Not Having any Questions

Mock Interview

You choose a position that you would like to apply for and we will provide a mock interview for that position.

If you think you would benefit from any of these courses please talk to your consultant to arrange attendance at the next scheduled session.

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Helpful Contacts

St Vincent de Paul - 3372 6973

Mission Australia - 3812 2984

Lifeline - 13 11 14

Beyond Blue - 1300 224 636

Mensline Australia - 1300 789 978

Goodna Youth Services - 3818 1050

The Smith Family - 3437 8379

Tenancy Advocacy Service - 3281 5409

Salvation Army - 3812 3818

Womensline - 1800 811 811

Legal Aid - 1300 651 188

Disability Abuse Hotline - 1800 880 052

Centrelink - 132 717

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Work Venture Qld
Level 5 Ipswich City Tower
2 Bell St
Ipswich, Qld 4305
Phone: 3813 9777
Fax: 3813 9778

 

 

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