Large corporates, particularly those that are Perth-based, have become a key target for work finder to the physically disabled, Rocky Bay Employment Services.
The job finding service, a division of Rocky Bay Inc, caters for 133 physically disabled people, placing them in work in a variety of industries.
It also provides all of its clients with on the job support and training.
A change to the funding for such disablity service employment providers has partially forced the change of direction.
Currently about 70 per cent of the companies employing its clients are small businesses.
RBES marketing manager Holly Whyte said the organisation was being funded under a block grant funding system where it received an annual allocation.
However, she said, that was being changed to a case-based funding model that would bring uncertainty to how much funding the organisation would receive.
One of the key benefits of the block grants model was that organisations knew how much money they were going to receive from year to year and could budget for that, something Ms Whyte said would not be possible under the case-based system.
She said RBES was trying to get more larger businesses on side so that it could place a number of disabled people with the one company, allowing a more efficient allocation of its job support staff.
"At the moment the bulk of the employers taking our people are small businesses, which is great. But they can’t afford to take more than one or two," she said.
"That’s why we need to get more large businesses on side."
Ms Whyte said the RBES was working with organisations such as Local Chambers and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to build those links with the larger end of town.
RBES tries to place its clients in areas that are of interest to them and within their physical capabilities.
As with the abled-bodied workforce, RBES’ client base ranges from people with no skills to those who are university educated.
In keeping with its Rocky Bay pedigree RBES finds work for those who have some form of neurological or neuromuscular disability. This involves conditions such as muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spinabifida and acquired brain injury.
Indeed, people with acquired brain injury make up 66 per cent of RBES’ client base, thanks largely to a relationship the service built with organisations catering for such people.
Ms Whyte said the organisation was also undergoing something of a restructure itself, looking to move out of its cramped East Perth headquarters, while also changing its branding to create a more corporate look.
She said the move had been forced by the organisation’s growth.
"We have 21 staff. Three years ago we had 11 and in another two year’s time we’re likely to have 30," Ms Whyte said.
RBES was formed 11 years ago by Alexei Porter.
Back then Ms Porter was trying to find jobs for 10 people who were being cared for at Rocky Bay and literally working from the back of her car to do it.
When that experiment proved successful, Ms Porter was given more resources and RBES was born.
