29 September 2021
TAFE students with a disability can now access free on-site employment support thanks to a new initiative; The TAFE Specialist Employment Partnership (TSEP).
- TSEP is a partnership between North Metropolitan TAFE, National Disability Coordination Officer Program and BIZLINK, which works with students with a disability to identify and address the systemic blocks and barriers to employment.
- Students can meet with Jacob (an experienced Disability Employment Consultant) for support and advice with resume writing, interview skills and building confidence to discuss their disability with employers.
- The TSEP program will operate out of the Jobs and Skills Centres on selected days or students can arrange alternative meeting times and places.
The employment rates for TAFE students with disability are alarming – 49.1% of TAFE graduates with disability are employed post-study, compared to 74.2% of their peers without disability.
TAFE lecturers and support staff will refer students with a disability to the TSEP program who are in the final six months of their course, to assist with their transition into meaningful work.
“In 2020, over 1,500 students identified as having a disability at North Metropolitan TAFE. With the introduction of the NDIS, we are expecting this number to grow,” said Disability Support Manager Verity Morris.
“This is why it is so important for us to build strong partnerships with community organisations to provide a wrap-around service for students, not only while they are here at TAFE, but once they have completed their course and are ready to enter the workforce.”
If you are interested in accessing the TSEP program, get in touch with Jacob on 0478 798 405 or email jacob@bizlink.asn.au
References
NCVER 2019, Australian vocational education and training statistics: VET student outcomes 2019: data slicer, NCVER, Adelaide. Source: https://www.ncver.edu.au/research-and-statistics/data/all-data/vet-stud…)