A service matching disabled jobseekers with small and medium business employers will form part of a year-long trial to boost participation in the workforce.
A service matching disabled jobseekers with small and medium business employers will form part of a year-long trial to boost participation in the workforce.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA has been awarded $300,000 by the state government to undertake the trial, which will hone in on entry pathways and business assistance, and work to make clear the benefits of and support for employing people with disabilities.
The Ability Link program was established in the wake of a CCIWA report earlier this year which found more than half of respondents admitted to making little progress to attract and retain workers with disabilities.
That report noted disabled people took fewer sick days and workplaces which employed them enjoyed greater productivity, profit, and brand loyalty.
Issues identified by businesses included a lack of applications, concern about productivity, and the cost to support people with disabilities in their workplace.
CCIWA chief executive Chris Rodwell said busting myths and misconceptions about hiring people with disabilities would be a focus of the trial.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for businesses to hire people with disabilities, and this pilot program will aim to clear the barriers that have been holding them back from doing so.
“It will aim to determine better ways to connect WA businesses with people with disabilities who are looking for work by identifying skills gaps and providing specialised support to ensure a smooth transition into the workforce.
“This is very much providing a foundation stone so that over the coming years, we can really change the game in terms of employment outcomes for people with disability, but also the outcomes for businesses.”
Improved representation in senior business ranks, awareness training, tackling screening out during hiring processes, public campaigns, and vocational programs were among recommendations from the CCIWA report.
The trial hopes to build on the experience of people such as Tyler Buckland, who has autism and found work as a bartender at Cannington’s Waverley Brewhouse through the Hospitality Disability Network WA.
“I get kind of anxious in certain situations, but as I've worked in the industry it has gotten a lot easier to be able to handle that anxiety,” he said.
“It has given me a lot of confidence to be able to go up and talk to people and just be able to communicate, which has been amazing for me.
“I started here, and it was just like I found what I wanted to do.”
Disability Services Minister Don Punch said highlighting stories of success in hiring people with disabilities would encourage others to follow suit.
“I find certainly in my work with small and medium enterprises, stories of what businesses have done have really inspired others to start a journey,” he said.
“Tyler's is going to be a brilliant story, and Waverley Brewhouse, in terms of the story of how people develop relationships in the workplace that are really positive, both from a business point of view, the engagement with customers, but also the team spirit that develops in the workplace.
“In a tight labour market, this is an opportune time for businesses to consider hiring people with disability - a talent pool of people who are actively seeking inclusive and diverse employers.”
Waverley Brewhouse owner Brian Godfrey said the matchmaking component of the pilot would be of particular benefit to small businesses.
“We want to help, but we don't have the time and we don't have the skills, so to have someone else come in and say, ‘OK; right person, right business, right fit’, that actually makes my job and Chris [Howell]’s job really easy,” he said.
“We can basically outsource that.
“There are certain disabilities we can't cater for, but we want to do that because we have a responsibility to the community.”
Mr Godfrey said his experience in employing people with disabilities to date had dispelled misconceptions major change would be needed to accommodate them.
