Overview
The Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program was developed to reduce and remove barriers for people living with disability or on a mental health recovery journey. The program supports these communities by matching participants with meaningful volunteering roles that help build the skills, experience and confidence needed to work towards employment goals.
Equally, the program works with organisations to address the stigma and misconceptions around disability and mental health, by helping them build more inclusive workplaces. The program can also assist organisations in structuring suitable volunteering roles, and filling roles with skilled volunteers.
Who it’s for
We encourage you to take part in this program if you are:
- Living with disability or a mental health condition and
- Seeking employment and
- Interested in volunteering
If you’re a business owner, employer or employee looking to improve your organisation’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, we also invite you to participate. In addition, you’re able to refer volunteers who already engage with your organisation to benefit from this worthwhile program.
How it works
For individual participants, this program offers:
- One-on-one services for you to identify your employment goals and to find volunteering opportunities that align and work towards these
- Ongoing person-centred support to ensure your volunteering experience is meaningful and helping you to achieve your goals
Please note, this program does not offer placement in paid employment positions and cannot guarantee paid employment during or at the end of participation in the program.
For organisations, this program offers:
- Online and face-to-face training and workshops focusing on inclusion in the workplace
- Recommendations and suggestions for the use of inclusive language and workplace practices
- Resources and support to make the workplace more accessible and accommodate inclusivity into core policy and procedures, such as Workplace Health and Safety
- One-on-one support, focusing on specific reasonable adjustments to suit one or more volunteers with a disability
*Disabled People’s Organisations Australia 2018, Factsheet: Employment of Persons with Disability.
*Australian Government 2018, Businesses missing out.
The Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program is supported through funding from the Australian Government and delivered in collaboration with The Centre for Volunteering, VolunteeringACT and Volunteering Tasmania.
