More than 100,000 people with disability of working age in WA are not employed and those aged 15 to 24 are more than twice as likely to be unemployed, according to WA-based charity and social enterprise Good Sammy.
Good Sammy said it would begin its dare to dream school-work transition program next year to support Year 11 and 12 students with disabilities build work readiness skills and unlock pathways into employment and training.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 19 per cent of Western Australians have a disability.
“The unemployment rate for people with disability is 7.5 per cent,” the ABS said.
“More than double that for people without disability.”
The three-year Good Sammy initiative was supported by a grant from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and introduced at last month’s Disability Connection Expo held at the Exhibition Centre.
Project coordinator Mandy Reiher said it was crucial for people with disability to connect with the workforce soon after they finished school.
“If young people with disability don’t connect to the workforce within two years of finishing school, they’re 54 per cent less likely to ever engage,” she said.
“Dare to dream is about breaking that cycle early by building confidence, skills and connections.”
Ms Reiher said families of young people with disabilities were instrumental in the success of their child’s realised potential.
“Good Sammy aims to equip them with the tools and confidence to effectively support their child’s transition to employment and training pathways.”
Each 12-week program would provide tailored work readiness training, hands-on incursions in areas like retail, e-commerce, hospitality, logistics and maintenance, mentorship and guest speakers as well as support to explore further training and employment pathways.
Good Sammy said it was currently working with schools across the Perth metropolitan area to co-design and deliver the program with a person-centred approach.
Applications close on Friday, September 26.
To learn more about the eligibility criteria visit https://goodsammy.com.au/d2d/
