Many employers wrongly believe that it is more expensive to hire and train a person with disability. There are usually no extra costs at all. In fact, the costs of hiring people with disability can be significantly lower than hiring other employees, as low as 13 per cent of the cost of the other employees (Graffam et al 2002).
Training
The normal training arrangements in any workplace (on the job, mentoring, buddy programs, formal traineeships, career development) should, as a matter of course, apply to workers with disability. Making in-house training more accessible through alternative presentation techniques or information formats, usually does not cost much at all.
People with disability do not necessarily require more training than people without disability. The amount of training required, including on the job training, depends on the type of job, the needs of the employer organisation and the knowledge, skills and experience of the worker with disability.
If additional training is required for a worker with disability, then your role in supporting the employer and job seeker could include:
- providing one to one job coaching to the worker on or off the job
- advising the employer on appropriate training methods that can assist workers with disability achieve their potential.
Appropriate training methods
On the job training
As with any other training method, being clear about the learning outcomes to be achieved on the job and using a variety of methods of on the job training will lead to the best results.
People learn in three ways, some people through seeing, some people through listening and others through doing. Combining these three ways of learning, when appropriate, will help workers acquire the skills more readily when learning on the job.
Coaching
Coaching can assist a worker with disability to acquire skills through one on one training. Coaching can be used where a worker needs to improve their performance on one specific task, or across a range of tasks or competencies.
Mentoring
Mentoring is when a role model, or mentor, offers support to another person. A mentor usually has knowledge and experience in the workplace and shares it with the person being mentored. For example, a senior employee may mentor a worker who is less experienced. Information about mentoring, including buddy programmes, is available using the link below:
Buddy program
When a job seeker commences work in a new organisation, it is helpful to match them to a buddy who is another employee (often in a similar role) who can help them settle into the workplace and answer any questions.
Australian Apprenticeships
Australian Apprenticeships combine practical work with structured training. They usually result a nationally recognised qualification. Information for job seekers can be found using the link below:
Learning and development opportunities
Workers with disability need the same opportunities for learning and development as other employees.
The capacity to provide reasonable adjustment during the learning process should be considered when selecting external training providers, especially for online training.
Financial help for employers
Most workers with disability do not require costly workplace modifications or adjustments, special equipment or training. If such modifications or equipment are required, you can help employers access the Employment Assistance Fund. The Employment Assistance Fund provides financial assistance for employers, workers and job seekers, to modify physical work environments and purchase assistive technology, Auslan interpreting services and other services such as disability awareness and mental health first aid training for employers. For more information click on the link below:
If an eligible employer wishes to employ the job seeker under a traineeship or apprenticeship, you can also help them access the Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support scheme for extra mentoring and tutorial assistance:
Information for employers
JobAccess contains useful fact sheets for employers to help them with the employment of people with disability. The pages on our web site all print out in a user friendly format so that you can hand them to employers in hard copy:
References
Graffam, J, Shinkfield, A, Smith, K and Polzin, U 2002, ‘Employer benefits and costs of employing a person with a disability’, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 17, pp. 251-263.