Samuel has an intellectual disability and has struggled to find and maintain employment for the past 20 years. He was referred for employment assistance to APM’s Disability Employment Services (DES) in Gosnells last year.
APM secured him a job placement however this job opportunity did not work out for Samuel. Samuel’s Employment Consultant at APM Isabella Tanti recommended that he apply for a job as a Laundry Assistant that was listed on Employable Me. Another APM Employment Consultant at the Gosnells office had already conducted an employer visit and reported back that the job looked suitable for Samuel.
Isabella assisted Samuel to apply for the job posted on Employable Me, as he was not confident using technology. Samuel was immediately offered an interview at SPL and he and Isabella attended the interview together.
Samuel was chosen out of the interview process to progress to the onboarding process at SPL and ultimately employment as a Laundry Assistant.
Isabella stated “Samuel was so excited when we got there! He thought all the machinery was so interesting, loved the idea of the job, and he immediately clicked with the supervisor there, with friendly banter from the get-go! This was so awesome to see, as Samuel is such an enthusiastic and sociable guy who really just needed someone to give him a proper chance”.
Isabella further noted that the first day Samuel had at his job, he exceeded everyone’s expectations by achieving over 130% on the productivity monitor at work. Samuel was told by his supervisor that this was a record for someone to do so well on their first shift!
“Samuel told me he loves work so much that it doesn’t even feel like work! He gets along so well with all his work mates and turns every task into a fun game. Samuel comes into the APM office most mornings before work to tell us what his productivity score was at work the day before and tell us about all the funny jokes that he and his supervisor have together”.
APM supports Samuel by seeing him multiple times a week to debrief his time at work, stay connected with him, and reassure him that he is doing well. Isabella speaks to Samuel almost daily to hear about his day and help diffuse frustrations or explain misunderstandings of his day. Samuel has been given full PPE and uniform and assistance in buying work lunches. APM also provides post placement support for SPL to ensure Samuel has adequate support at work.
Isabella reported that she had recently spoken to Samuel’s supervisor, and he has given the feedback that they all love Samuel there, and he is fitting in brilliantly!
“Samuel has wanted to buy a car the whole time we’ve known him, he told me that he has a savings account specifically for his car. Samuel called me recently to let me know that he has been able to put money in this savings account for the first time with his first pay check from SPL! We are all so excited to see Samuel continue to thrive”, Isabella said.
About using Employable Me to secure employment for Samuel, Isabella said that the recruitment portal is a fantastic resource for Employment Consultant’s to find local vacancies with supportive employers, that they can contact directly and speak about job seekers and their vacancies.
“We are so excited to see Samuel continue to thrive - all of APM Gosnells have been so invested in this journey!”
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