Graduate Careers AustraliaGraduate Grapevine - Number 10, Autumn 2008Are You the One in Five…???Stepping into… A Work Experience Program for Students with Disability The Stepping into… work experience series is a unique paid internship program for university students with disability. Stepping into… provides participating students with disability with four weeks’ paid work experience within a professional organisation, assisting them to develop their technical and professional skills and to gain practical, hands-on experience in their chosen field. The program was launched by the Australian Employers Network on Disability, with the initial program, ‘Stepping into Law’, being conducted in Sydney in 2006. Since then the program has gone from strength to strength, growing both geographically as well as covering many new discipline areas. Stepping into… has achieved outstanding results for both participating students and employer organisations. Consequently, the Australian Employers Network on Disability has expanded the program considerably to encompass Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth. For the first time this year’s program will also be available in some regional centres, such as Ballarat and Newcastle. In 2008 Stepping into… will also include a wide selection of disciplines, including:
Participating organisations include: ANZ; Baker & McKenzie; Freehills; Henry Davis York; KPMG; Merrill Lynch; Qantas; RailCorp NSW; Sparke Helmore Lawyers; Telstra; the ATO; the Department of Defence; the NSW Attorney General’s Department; and Westpac. These participating organisations have all made a public commitment to improving employment opportunities for people with disability in Australia. With such a variety of placements available, there is a need to promote the program more widely to universities, including to individual faculties and departments. Approximately 20 per cent of the Australian population has one or more disability (Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 2003) – that’s one in five university students. However, many people who are eligible to apply for this program don’t identify as being ‘disabled’. For the purposes of this program, a person with any type of disability is eligible to apply – that includes people who have experienced mental health issues, now or in the past, including anxiety and depression, people with chronic health conditions such as diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, etc. Stepping into… has proven especially beneficial to people who have experienced significant difficulty obtaining work experience due to their disability. There is a very real need for this program. Many students with disability, despite their ability, enthusiasm and talent, struggle to find employment after graduation. The Stepping into… programs provide a unique opportunity for students with disability to gain valuable experience and develop a network of contacts within their chosen industry. Research shows that in 2006, while 82.4 per cent of all graduates found full-time employment shortly after graduation, only 75.2 per cent of bachelor degree graduates with disability were similarly employed (Source: Australian Graduate Survey 2006). In 2007, 32 students with disability completed the program, and there will be approximately 80 students participating in 2008. Stepping into… is of mutual benefit to the participating organisations, with the program enhancing disability awareness in the workplace and encouraging inclusive work practices. With Australia being in the grip of a significant skills shortage, it is increasingly important for organisations to develop barrier-free recruitment processes so that talented people with disability who are looking for employment are not (directly or indirectly) discriminated against. Organisations participating in the Stepping into… program are better equipped to recognise barriers in their recruitment processes, and gain an understanding of how these recruitment processes can be adjusted to ensure that they are not missing out on talented employees due to inaccessible systems. Participating organisations learn to:
Before the program commences, participating organisations have their workplace reviewed for accessibility requirements and also attend disability awareness training sessions. The organisations actively participate in the development of the four-week work experience program, and are encouraged to seek regular feedback. In addition, an evaluation is undertaken by both the students and the organisations on completion of the program. While full-time, permanent employment is not a guaranteed outcome of the program, many students have been offered ongoing work with the participating organisations. Student Case Studies (NB. All names have been changed to ensure confidentiality.) George applied to Stepping into Law during his final year of an LLB. George was eligible for the program as he had been affected by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for several years. Due to his disability, George had found it necessary to complete his degree with a low unit load, over an extended period. George also had several gaps in his transcript where he had been unable to study for a time due to his disability. As a result, George’s transcript was not an accurate reflection of his skills and abilities. George was offered a placement with a leading law firm in Sydney. The firm was willing to be very flexible with the structure of his internship, and accepted that George could only work two days each week to accommodate his disability. The firm was extremely happy with George’s work, and offered him ongoing employment on a part-time basis on completion of the program. Kathryn applied to Stepping into Banking during her 2nd year of a combined Finance/Law degree. Kathryn was eligible for the program due to a hereditary vision impairment. Despite this disability Kathryn had worked successfully as a marketing consultant for many years before going back to university. Kathryn was initially hesitant about applying for the Stepping into… program as she was not confident about her future career prospects. Kathryn’s vision impairment was degenerative, and she found that the technology she had used in her previous employment was no longer adequate to assist her to use a computer. Kathryn was offered a placement at a major bank, and a range of workplace modifications were put in place to assist her, including specialised desk lighting, zoomtext software on her computer and a hand-held navigation device to assist her to find her way around the city. Kathryn worked on several major projects during her internship and her presence in the office was beneficial in dispelling many of the myths associated with people with disability. Chris applied to Stepping into Law in Melbourne in his 2nd year of a Graduate Law degree. Chris had been diagnosed with depression during high school and had experienced recurring episodes throughout his university career. Symptoms such as problems with concentration, motivation and anxiety had made an obvious impact on his university studies, as well as his confidence. Chris commenced an internship in the legal department of a large multinational telecommunications corporation, and worked on a range of projects in the areas of Intellectual Property and Finance & Administration. The Stepping into… program is structured so that students can maintain confidentiality around their disability. Chris felt comfortable disclosing his mental health condition to his direct supervisor but found that his disability did not even need to be mentioned to the rest of his work colleagues. On completing the program, Chris talked about how it had increased his confidence in his skills and abilities and made him feel more secure in the knowledge that his disability did not have to rule his employment prospects. For further information about any of the Stepping into… programs, or to arrange phone interviews with any of the previous participants, please contact Mark Lazaroo at the Australian Employers’ Network on Disability on + 61 2 9261 3922 or [email protected] . Applications are now open for the 2008 program and will close on 23 May 2008. Application information can be found at www.aend.org.au . |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||