When did you know what you wanted to do for a career?
Phil, a Supported Employee at OCC Enterprises, is still figuring that out.
He echoes the sentiment of many that there are too many options to choose from, but at the same time, he’s not sure he fits into any of those. As someone with a disability, it’s hard to find ongoing employment in the open job market, but Phil is determined to find his place with the support of OCC Enterprises.
Phil has taken short courses in the past and has worked in several areas of OCC Enterprises including packing and assembly, administration and document management. He enjoys the variability of tasks, the flexibility of his workplace, and he fits comfortably into the social dynamic of the Supported Employment team, but sometimes he feels restless.
He wants to try new things and he wants to find his passion.
Recently, Phil noticed a flyer on the OCCE bulletin board promoting a short course at Holmesglen TAFE on job seeker skills. With encouragement and advice from his key worker Meredith and manager Athena, Phil jumped into the new learning opportunity to refresh his knowledge and consider what his calling might be.
The two-day course, “Expanding Horizons”, workshopped planning pathways and practiced workplace communication and self-advocacy. He learned how to stand up for himself and use confident language such as “I know” the value of my abilities instead of “I believe” or “I think” that my abilities are valuable. The class worked on pitching their capabilities and interests, alongside formal resume building and writing cover letters.
TAFE is structured around many different learning styles, including group discussions, presentations from tutors, workshopping written components and watching educational videos. The variability allows for each student to learn in their different ways with the support of helpful teachers.
The overall aim of the course is to get people with disabilities job-ready and excited about their employment journey, while cultivating peer-support and social opportunities within the community. Students ate lunch as a group on both days, utilising their short time together to create long-term friendships. Phil stays in touch with some of his peers, following their progress on searching for the right job and encouraging them on their journey.
Phil learned a lot in the short course and feels reinvigorated to try new things.
“If you want to learn some new stuff, or stuff you already know but you just want bit of a refresher, just go for it. It may help you in finding a new path to what you want to do,” Phil advised.
Phil has ideas for what he wants to try next, including further education opportunities through TAFE and OCC Enterprises. He’s interested in IT and Communications, sports, and literature, and is excited to work with his support systems at OCCE to try new pathways into potential open employment.
