APM Futures assists Tiana to enter the workforce

Published on 06 Jul 2022

  • APM Futures provides NDIS participants with employment support in selected areas
  • Tiana’s parents wanted her to find a role which accommodated her disability and was sustainable long-term
  • Since starting her role at Port Sorell Caravan Park, her hours have increased thanks to the high quality of her work

Support to find workplace experiences helped Tiana find the right fit.

Tiana is a vibrant young lady living with complex disability. She requires twenty-four-hour support funded through the NDIS.

When Tiana came to APM Futures she wanted to work and earn money like her boyfriend and her friends - Tiana’s parents naturally wanted Tiana to have realistic and achievable goals.

APM helped provide Tiana with an understanding of work, an insight into her skills, along with an employer who understood her needs.

For young job seekers who have an existing NDIS plan, APM Futures can help you identify the best job for you based on your unique skills, interests, and aspirations. Then we’ll work with you to develop a plan to help you get there.

The three key supports APM Futures provides are for school leavers, finding and keeping a job and supports in employment.

Initially Tiana came to her sessions tired and un-engaged as she did not understand why she needed APM Futures support and why she could not just send in applications and get a job like other people.

Tiana’s facilitator, John quickly realised that mainstream learning environments were not a happy place for Tiana and she benefitted more by learning through hands-on experiences.

John set about creating a few different “workplace experiences” for Tiana and used these to help her to identify what work meant for her, what she was capable of and what she wanted to do.

John then approached several local businesses eventually coming across the caretakers for the Port Sorell Caravan Park, run by Michelle, and Gavin.

Both Michelle and Gavin were very keen to give an opportunity to someone to enter the workforce and they needed someone to help with cleaning the park’s facilities.

After meeting with Tiana, they offered her employment as a cleaner doing a couple of two-hour shifts per week, with John providing her with on-the-job support.

Michelle and Gavin were blown away by the quality of Tiana’s cleaning and the park’s residents and visitors are already rating the camp kitchen and bathrooms as some of the cleanest in Australia.

The APM Futures team is working with Tiana, her family, Support Coordinators, and her employers to increase her capacity with the aim of Tiana being able to work eight hours per week by the time the parks busy summer season comes around.

The team is also working to increase Tiana’s capacity so that she is able to attend work by herself and to transition to the Devonport Disability Employment Services team.

The APM Futures team delivers NDIS employment support in selected areas. If you or someone you know is an NDIS participant visit apm.net.au/futures to learn more.


Injury, illness or disability and want to work?

You could be eligible for help in finding a suitable job from APM Employment Services.

As Australia’s largest provider of the Disability Employment Services program we help thousands of people with permanent or temporary disabilities, injuries, mental health conditions and other diagnosed barriers which may prevent them finding successful employment.

If you want to find out more, register with us today, or call our team on 1800 276 276 for more information.

Read a full transcript of this video.

Looking for staff?

We don’t just support job seekers, we also help thousands of employers find reliable staff and access government incentives when hiring new employees.

If you’re an employer, you could access wage subsidies, plus funds for training and workplace modifications when hiring a person with disability for full or part-time work.

Plus, you will be enhancing the diversity of your business while making a real positive difference in a person’s life.

Find out more about this rewarding opportunity for employers by speaking to your nearest APM Employment Services team, or emailing support@apm.net.au.