This is a recording of a one-day online workshop about work experience placements for secondary school students with disability. Learn how to create successful community-based work experience opportunities that are customised to the student’s interests, needs and potential contributions.
This three-part workshop was designed for professionals wanting some practical guidance to help their students with disability
- imagine their career path
- find work experience that aligns with their interests, needs and skills and
- set up successful work experience placements for the student and their host employer.
Session 1 – Imagine a Customised Career
In this video, you’ll explore
- Employment environment. An overview of employment experiences for people with intellectual disability
- Career education. Explore the career education environment and how to work with your school
- Vision. Imagine a good life through valued social roles and create a vision statement
- Discovery. Identify the student’s interests, conditions and potential contributions
Video playing time: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Session 2 – Find Customised Work Experience
In this session, we discussed
- Customised work experience. An overview of customised work placements and the different mindsets needed to create them
- Planning for work experience. Understand the world of work possibilities and how to explore these
- Workplace learning. Identify specific employers to contact to arrange a work placement
- Talking to employers. Learn how to ask for customised work experience placements or a workplace tour to spot potential tasks
- Negotiating conditions. Decide what to disclose to an employer and when to disclose it
Video playing time: 43 minutes
Session 3 – Set Up Work Experience for Success
In this final session, we discussed
- Accessing supports. Accessing NDIS-funded supports to find, set up, and support work experience placements
- Preparing placements. Analyse tasks and negotiate placement relationships and conditions for success
- Teaching tasks effectively. Use systematic instruction to enable the student to master tasks independently
- Recording achievements. Learn how to capture learning for a visual resume and record the student’s feedback about tasks
- Future opportunities. Ask employers for future work, referee reports and career advice
Video playing time: 51 minutes
This workshop is based on
- the customised employment approach developed by Marc Gold and Associates and
- the lived experience of families and young people.
It is part of our three-year School to Work project. This project builds the capacity of families to help secondary school students to imagine, discover and find valued work roles.
Resources from this workshop
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- Future Ready- National Career Education Strategy – https://www.dewr.gov.au/future-ready
- Australian Curriculum – Work Studies – https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/work-studies/
- Pathways to Work and Learning (ACT BSSS): Y11 + 12 – https://www.bsss.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/525455/Shape_Paper_-_Pathways_to_Work_and_Learning.pdf
- Pathways Planning tool (ACT public schools only) – https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/transitions-careers/career-learning/pathways-planning
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- Social Role Valorisation resources
- The Good Life resources
- Role Communicators
- Vision resources (includes Wendy Strove video)
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- Discovery Reading and Templates – http://www.marcgold.com/forms
- What is Customised Employment? – http://www.marcgold.com/what-is-customized-employment
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- My Future Website – https://myfuture.edu.au/assist-your-child#introducing-myfuture
- Examples of tasks using the My Future Website. This table is based on interests identified by workshop participants.
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- Article by Michael Callahan and Melinda Mast – Job Analysis: A Strategy for Assessing and Utilizing the Culture of Work Places to Support Persons with Disabilities – PDF
- Job Analysis Form
- Job Analysis Sample PDF
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Further reading by Ellen Condon
- Using a Visual Resume for Job Development – PDF
- Visual Resume Example – PDF – Original Format based on technologies of 2013.
- Visual Resume Example 2019 Verison – PDF – Revised format based on technologies of 2019.