- APM Employment Services helped Des achieve some of his employment goals
- His supervisor at Char'd is full of praise for his work
Finding work is helping Desmond work towards his international ambitions
Like many job seekers, Des struggled to find ongoing work after his employment situation changed due to COVID-19 in his home state of Queensland.
The team at APM Ipswich along with Employment Consultant Vikki, were ready to support Des. He entered the Disability Employment Services program to help achieve his employment goals.
Des lives with Asperger’s Syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum.
While this affects his speech and social skills, Des demonstrated strong attention to detail and reliability.
“It was clear Des was a motivated worker” Vikki said.
“I felt it was important to find a role which had a routine of jobs, with a checklist to follow so Des could master it.”
The APM Ipswich team continued their marketing and were successful in obtaining work trials, but they hadn’t quite found the right fit.
Des maintained his great outlook and took everything in his stride.
With assistance from the APM Browns Plains office and some successful face-to-face marketing, an interview was organised with the manager of Char’d Hotel in Booval.
Des’ positive attitude shone throughout his interview and with the support and encouragement from the Ipswich office, he was able to secure employment with Char’d restaurant.
His back-of-house role at Char’d plays to his strengths. It provides a comfortable level of social interaction and involves a number of detail-orientated tasks.
As a bonus, Char’d is walking distance from Des’ home.
His hard work is helping him work towards his goal to travel to Los Angeles to become an actor.
Feedback from his supervisor and manager is full of praise.
“Des does everything perfectly. He may take a bit longer to do some things, but it is worth the wait” they said.
His employer uses Des as a positive example for other employees to strive to be like.
Des enjoys going to work every day - Vikki and Des are now speaking with his supervisor about increasing his role at Char’d.
Inclusive Employment Australia
Disability Employment Services (DES) was replaced by Inclusive Employment Australia on 1 November 2025.
The new program aims to help more people with disability, injury, or health conditions prepare for, find and keep a job.
APM Employment Services is a national provider and can help you get started.
Learn more at apm.net.au/iea or call 1800 276 276.