When you’re a person with disability looking for work, trying to land your first job can be a daunting experience.

Applying for a job may seem like a pretty straight forward process for some (fire off a resume, dig out your “interview outfit”, and remember to smile), but for people with disability, finding work in a traditional work environment presents its own unique set of challenges. Limited accessibility, and communication or physical barriers are just some of the obstacles that can make it difficult for people with disability to gain meaningful employment.

Supported Employment with HELP helps people with a disability such as autism, Down Syndrome and other intellectual or physical disabilities overcome these hurdles, opening the door to an exciting world of endless possibilities.

What is Supported Employment?

Supported Employment is employment specifically tailored to support people with disability. It provides you with the extra support you need at work, creating an inclusive workplace that caters to, and celebrates your abilities.

Supported Employment can help you:

• Learn new skills (for work and life)
• Build confidence and self esteem
• Become more independent
• Earn your own money
• Explore new industries and areas of interest
• Meet new people and make lifelong friends
• Upskill for Open Employment

What jobs are available?

There are lots of different jobs available at HELP! We have different roles in manufacturing and production, supply chain services, horticulture, and hospitality to suit everyone. We know that choice is important and encourage our Supported Employees to try a range of different jobs to find their perfect match.

We currently have over 30 jobs available across many industries and locations! Learn more about the types of supported jobs available at HELP below.

Factory Hand

If you enjoy making things, this could be the perfect job for you! As a Factory Hand you’ll operate machinery such as welders, drills, saws, powder coating guns, and hand tools to manufacture products like bin enclosures, mailboxes, and garage storage units for our HELP clients.

Production and Warehousing Worker

HELP provides disability-friendly work opportunities that cater to a range of skill levels. Our Production and Warehousing Workers are part of a big team that work across a number of HELP sites doing tasks such as:

• Warehousing
• Third-party logistics
• Assembly
• Packaging
• Light manufacturing
• Recycling

Hospitality at One of HELP’s Cafes

HELP currently operates 2 cafes in Brisbane – Goodwill Brew and Boronia Brew. Our cafes provide a great opportunity for people with disability to experience a range of roles in the hospitality industry.

When you work at one of HELP’s cafes you can get a job as a Food & Beverage Assistant or Kitchen Hand, and learn:

• Food preparation
• Customer service/front of house
• Coffee making or how to be a Barista
• Cleaning & Food Safe practices

Nursery Hand at Oxford Park Nursery

Help Nursery is a unique, alternative work environment where team members with disability can get hands-on experience and enjoy the great outdoors. As a Nursery Hand you will develop lots of new skills like potting, garden maintenance, identifying plants, and customer service.

Administration Assistant

You can provide administration support at any number of our HELP Commercial and Disability Care sites. When you work as an Administration Assistant you will do jobs like answering the phone, replying to emails, filing, and light cleaning duties.

Where can I get a job?

HELP has a number of sites across SEQ so that you can work close to home at a location that is convenient for you. Public or organised transport options may be available at certain HELP sites so supported employees can get to and from work with ease.

Site	Types of Work
Eagle Farm 520 Curtin Avenue East	Factory Hand Production and Warehousing Worker Administration Assistant
Ipswich 7 Pound Street	Production and Warehousing Worker Administration Assistant
Acacia Ridge 66a McCotter Street	Production and Warehousing Worker Administration Assistant
Mitchelton 41 Chessom Street	Nursery Hand at Help Nursery
Sunnybank Hills 475 Hellawell Road	Production and Warehousing Worker Administration Assistant
Brisbane CBD Goodwill Bridge	Hospitality (Goodwill Brew)
Brisbane Airport 20 Boronia Road (in the Da Vinci Precinct at Brisbane Airport)	Hospitality (Boronia Brew)

Do I get paid as a Supported Employee?

Yes! Each individual undergoes a Supported Wage Assessment in order to determine their final wage. Your pay is based on the standard award wage and may vary based on the results of your Supported Wage Assessment and skill level.

Your wage is often supplemented by the disability support pension (DSP). Supported Employees usually continue to receive DSP even if they are working in supported employment.

HELP adheres to the government appointed Supported Wage System Guidelines to make sure all Supported Employees are paid a fair wage.

Do I need NDIS funding to enter Supported Employment?

Yes, to become a Supported Employee with HELP, you must have the relevant NDIS funding available. You will need to have specific funding allocated for employment supports, and/or have discussed employment as one of your NDIS goals with your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIS Planner.

If you don’t currently have NDIS funding related to employment goals, our HELP Intake Team can help you navigate the evaluation process and paperwork in order to secure funding.

How do I get a job as a Supported Employee?

To find out if Supported Employment is right for you, you can:

1. Chat to your LAC or NDIS Planner

If one of your NDIS goals is getting a job, you can talk with your LAC (Local Area Coordinator) or NDIS Planner to see if Supported Employment suits your needs, and is available with your current NDIS funding.

2. Contact the HELP team

If you would like to learn more about our Supported Employment opportunities, you can get in touch with our experienced Intake Team. HELP has a rich 50 year history in disability care and employment. We believe that meaningful Supported Employment is one of the most empowering ways to enhance the lifestyle and independence of people with disability.

3. Organise a site tour

After you have discussed your interest in Supported Employment with our Intake Team, we can organise a site tour for you. A site tour gives you the chance to explore your future workplace and learn more about the jobs available at that site. In many cases you will also get to meet the team and ask them questions about what it’s like to work there.

4. Start a trial as a Supported Employee

There’s no better way to get started than to jump right in! A two-day work trial will help you gain a better understanding of the type of work you might be doing, who your team mates are, and if the job is the best fit for you. This will also give our employment team an opportunity to understand your support requirements and your working capacity.

5. Next steps

If you have the correct NDIS funding HELP can immediately proceed to an offer of employment. If you do not have the right NDIS funding available we can provide you with the paperwork to get started and assist you in applying for funding.

Supported Employees must also be over 18 years of age. If you’re younger than 18 you might be eligible for our School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) program instead.

The benefit of Supported Employment is that your job is tailored especially for you, your ability and your personal skill level and knowledge. Together with the help of our team of Employment Support Officers you can grow and become the best version of you!

You may also qualify for other employment, or disability services that can help you get a job. Enquire now to find out more about our full range of services, including School Leaver Employment Support (SLES).

What’s the difference between Supported Employment and Open Employment?

Supported Employment is employment specifically tailored to support people with disability. This type of employment caters to people who need more support than what a traditional workplace can offer. As a Supported Employee you will have an Employment Support Officer who will work alongside you every day to make sure you are feel safe and supported no matter what you are doing. Check out some of our team stories to find out more about Supported Employment at HELP.

Open Employment refers to employment where an employee with a disability is engaged in the mainstream workforce, alongside employees without disability. Many Supported Employees go on to enter the mainstream workforce once they have upskilled, or gained confidence in a supported work environment.

What can I expect from Supported Employment at HELP?

As one of Queensland’s leading social enterprises and providers of disability care, we understand the life changing impact of meaningful employment.

At HELP, our team of support workers are with you every step of the way, right from day one.

We work with you to match your skills with a job that suits your passions and your goals. In the safety of a supported work environment we can help you establish positive work relationships with confidence, and work towards a more independent lifestyle.

To ensure all our supported employees receive customised support at work we use the research-based Person Centred Active Support (PCAS) framework. As practitioners of PCAS, HELP applies the following fundamental principles to ensure each individual’s need are met:

• Every moment has potential
• Maximise choice and control
• Little and often
• Graded assistance

All HELP sites are inclusive, modern, and well-equipped with an experienced and qualified employment support officers to help you upskill and achieve your career goals.

Many team members make lasting connections at work, and stay on as long term Supported Employees and valued members of our HELP family.

Take a peek at some of our Supported Employee stories – can you tell they love what they do? 

For more info about Supported Employment at HELP visit our info page or get in touch!