Discovering your interests in the first phase of Customised Employment

As we have previously explored, Customised Employment (CE) is a great way to help people with disability to gain and maintain employment with an inclusive employer.

CE is a person-centred, tailored approach to supporting and empowering you, the jobseeker to find the right employment pathway.

Throughout the whole process, you work with one of our CE Scouts. They take the time to get to know you, helping you explore your potential and build your skills and independence along the way.

Customised Employment is delivered in four phases. Today, we’re going to explore what’s involved in the first phase. It’s called Discovery.

What to expect during the Discovery phase

We aim to build a lasting relationship between a jobseeker, who may have complex support needs, and an employer, who may have specific employment needs. With this in mind, Discovery is incredibly important as it ensures we understand how to make that match happen.

Your CE Scout helps you explore your interests, strengths, skills, support needs, and social connections. The time this takes will depend on you. For one jobseeker, it may take 40 hours, for another jobseeker, it could take up to 60 hours. It comes down to your support needs and where you’re at on your employment journey.

Your CE Scout will:

• Come to you, your home and community
• Talk to you about your areas of interests and support needs
• Observe you in your daily routines and activities to understand your skills and strengths
• Talk to people in your circle of support who you identify as important – for example, a family member, a friend, TAFE or university staff, your therapist or carer – to get their ideas around the types of jobs and work environments you’d thrive in
• Develop an understanding of businesses in your local area and your transport needs

There are no right or wrong answers. By simply being yourself, you will help your CE Scout identify the ideal working conditions for you.

What happens next?

Once your CE Scout has a deep understanding of you and your employment goals, it’s time to start the Job Development phase. Again, your Scout will be by your side to help you explore jobs and workplaces to find the right match for you. We’ll explain what’s involved in this next phase in an upcoming blog article … watch this space!

In the meantime, if you have any questions about Customised Employment or love the idea of meeting one of our Scouts to kick off your own journey towards long-term employment, contact us today.