VET opens doors to opportunity for people with disability

For people with disability, vocational education and training (VET) delivers much more than just employability skills. It’s also a pathway to greater self-confidence, self-reliance and connection.

In return, VET also helps business and the wider community see value in employing people with disability. “It educates workplaces and the wider community by providing a better understanding of people with disability,” says Helen Sara, Vocational Skills Coordinator for not-for-profit disability service, Northcott.

“There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to disability, and in undertaking these courses, our customers continue to show that their passion and determination should not be underestimated.”

Kathleen’s VET story

Kathleen Campbell has passion and determination in spades. The 20-year-old Sydney resident recently shared her search for meaningful employment as a person with autism in the second series of the ABC’s award-winning show, Employable Me. Kathleen has completed a range of part-qualifications through VET and gained valuable work experience that has led to casual and part-time employment.

Currently, she works two days a week in a team that tests phones being returned under warranty. Having an eye for detail is important. “Sometimes if the phone is broken, you need to let everyone know about that,” she says.

Through VET, Kathleen has successfully completed Statement of Attainments in Introduction to Retail and Introduction to Working in a Warehouse. Her training was subsidised by the NSW Government and delivered by TAFE NSW in partnership with Northcott.

“Kathleen has achieved success in gaining employment through her enthusiasm and ability to utilise her strengths with the knowledge and skills she obtained from the mentoring and training,” says Helen. “Undertaking these courses enables our customers to learn new skills, large and small, to enable greater independence. In many instances, young people with disability may not have been able to reach their academic potential within the school system.”

“When the training is specialised, adapted to meet their needs and relevant to their goals and strengths, successful completion not only increases confidence, but can also lead to the desire to undertake further study.”

Fee-free training and specialised support

VET is a proven tertiary education pathway that opens doors to opportunity. It offers a choice of hundreds of courses and leads to a range of interesting and well-paid jobs.

Under the NSW Government’s Smart and Skilled program, VET courses are fee-free for eligible students with disability and those who are dependants of people receiving a disability support pension.

Additional funding is also given to all approved Smart and Skilled training providers to ensure specialised extra support is available for students with disability.

Skills to succeed

Kathleen's training (and her love of pop culture) also came in handy when she worked casually as a host at celebrity waxworks museum Madame Tussauds, which was filmed as part of episode one of Employable Me series 2. She loves music and often listens to Spotify or watches music videos on YouTube. Currently on heavy rotation: UK band Big Audio Dynamite, best known for their 1991 hit song “Rush”.

Kathleen’s advice to others: “Think about what you might really love to do, take a big breath and practice your interviews.”

Watch Employable Me now

Financed with the assistance of the NSW Government, Employable Me is a three-part series that follows nine people with disability as they search for meaningful employment. Series two is now available to view on ABC iView.