RAILS and APM Employment Services

RAILS stands for Real Australian Indigenous Learning Support, a First Nations owned and operated NDIS service provider operating from the northern Gold Coast down to the northern regions in New South Wales.

It provides a range of different services to NDIS clients, including personal care, disability and social support, support coordination, domestic support and more.

Balan Jagun is a program RAILS and APM provide to help participants get into the workplace and find meaningful employment.

Chantal Togo, General Manager at RAILS, explains, “Balan Jagun is the Yugambeh word for strong country. We're in the Yugambeh language region here in Bundjalung Nation. It is a job readiness program which we've facilitated for First Nations participants in the workplace. The program encompasses a lot of different cultural activities to be able to strengthen the participants to have the courage and the skills to be able to go out to secure the jobs that they see for the future.”

For Gary, originally from the Walcha Region in NSW, it’s about connecting him with people.

“The Balan Jagun program has helped me with learning the culture, getting to know the people that are my people, my land, and helping me with music.”

For Glen, a Wakka Wakka man, it’s a new start, “With APM, I finally made a connection with Martin. He really listened to me. The first person who really listened to my story and what I needed.”

Chantal feels it’s been a hugely successful collaboration, “The partnership that we have with APM is one that we value very much. It's an organisation that’s just as proactive and as passionate as us.”

The Director of RAILS, Dane Husband, adds, “It's been a privilege, and I'm so proud to see two organisations come together to provide the best sort of interest for our people, to put them in jobs and to network into different sort of pathways. I hope to see this continue, to give more people opportunity.”