Connections for Quality gives you information to help you choose the right provider for your needs. The sections on this page are the Service Quality Indicators. They tell you more about this provider and their services.
Our job seekers
NOVA Richmond is within walking distance of Richmond shopping Centre, train station, buses and public parks. There is free onsite parking. We service Kurrajong, Bilpin and the Hawkesbury lowlands, including Freeman’s Reach. We work closely with nearby Windsor NOVA
We’re committed to finding award-wage jobs for people with a disability, no matter the barrier you face. We do this by learning about your interests and skills, setting realistic employment goals and then finding a suitable job. We help you through the application and interview process. We provide on the worksite or off site support to you and your employer until you’re both happy that the job is being done effectively.
Please read on to see how two of our job seekers have found their dream jobs through NOVA:
Name: Greg
Work: Warehousing
Greg is in his 40s and has a hearing impairment . We placed Greg into a job at a warehouse, educated site staff about ways to communicate and acquired for him a vibrating alarm to ensure that he works to his employer’s timeframe. Greg is very respected in the workplace and now requires minimal onsite support.
Name: Rebecca
Work: Administration
Rebecca is a highly qualified and educated woman, who became ill while working in Japan later she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Rebecca speaks fluent Japanese and Italian. During recovery she applied for many jobs for which employers felt she was over-qualified. NOVA found an employer who understood her needs and her value. The role suits her interests and skills, and we provide off site support.
Our employers
Partnering with NOVA Richmond saves employers time and money. We match the best candidate to your role and provide full training, coaching and support until you’re happy that the role is being performed to your expectations. We partner with employers in a range of industries, including health, hospitality, warehousing, retail, IT, trades and garden maintenance. We work with both small businesses and large employers.
We focus on the local area but also source staff for businesses form around Sydney. We work closely with NOVA Windsor.
For us, an effective placement means a good match between the skills of the employee and the needs of the employer. Getting this right is great for you , our job seekers and NOVA.
If you’re considering NOVA to fill your recruitment needs, the process is simple:
Call us or take our appointment when we ring you
Outline the requirements of the role and your business
Meet a selected NOVA candidate
Confirm the candidate is right for your business
NOVA takes care of on boarding, training, education of staff and regular meetings with you to ensure all is going to plan.
Read Lyn’s story of a staffing issue solved by NOVA:
Employer: Lyn
Industry: Smash Repair
Lyn and her husband own a medium-sized workshop. In the past they’ve had difficulty with the recruitment process incurring costs. We introduced Jamie, a year-12 school leaver and volunteer fire fighter, who wasn’t having much luck finding paid employment. This employer saw straight away that Jamie was right for their business: he was hard-working, honest and picked up skills easily. Jamie is now in his third year with them. This employer appreciates NOVA’s service and regularly refers NOVA to other local businesses.
Our networks
Our staff know the Richmond area really well. Our involvement with the Chamber of Commerce gives us a great connection with the community. It allows us to meet prospective and new employers on a weekly basis.
NOVA is highly regarded in the Hawkesbury region and the Hawkesbury Chamber speak very highly of our service. We support many other local services and events, such as the ‘Fire Relief’ function and sponsoring the community Christmas carols.
Apart from the Chamber of Commerce, we’re also involved in the Windsor Business Group, the Hawkesbury Community Interagency and local schools. Recently, a school that hadn’t used our services in the past started bringing their senior students to NOVA Richmond for weekly assistance with goal setting, resume writing, job-searching strategies and getting ready for work. They couldn’t be happier with the results.
We enjoy strong relationships with many other businesses and organisations in the Richmond area. We know we’re doing something right when our job seekers don’t have to attend a formal interview. Recently two young men got work at the Sebel Resort and Spa based on the strong relationship between them and NOVA. Many businesses and organisations come to us first when they need staff.
Our work with the Chamber of Commerce gives us a good understanding of local business needs. We use our networks for the benefit of the local business community. For example, a new employer to the area was not only looking for new staff but also a new premise and a supplier of a particular product. We connected them with a real estate agent and a producer of the product and great staff.
Our performance
NOVA Richmond has a strong reputation for finding long-term employment for people with a disability. We work with people with all types of barriers and have a great reputation with Hawkesbury employers for providing them with skilled and motivated staff.
We’re proud of the statistics that support our great work:
80% of our ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) participants found employment through us
50% of our Eligible School Leavers (youth with a significant disability) are still in employment
42% of our jobseekers are in full-time employment.
As you can see, we’re experienced at working with a range of abilities and disabilities. Apart from ATSI and youth we also work with a significant number of people with a mild or moderate intellectual disability (ID).
At NOVA one-fifth of our jobseekers with an Intellectual Disability find full-time, award-wage work with a learning component (apprenticeship or traineeship). These people would otherwise be unemployed or in sheltered employment.
Here are a couple of examples of the way NOVA Richmond works to bring skilled job seekers and employers together:
Employee 1: In a housekeeping role, this employee received weekly drop-in support for one year. Her NOVA Job Coach also meets with her employer once a week. Through consistent communication and guidance, post-placement support is now just a monthly meeting at our Richmond outlet.
Employee 2: This employee required 100% support for the first week. That’s an employment consultant onsite prompting and guiding while ever the employee is at work. Now they require just an hour per week of support. His employer couldn’t be happier!
About us
At NOVA Richmond, we pride ourselves on our personal service and success with finding and keeping great jobs for people with a disability. We’re always interested in our prospective job seekers’ stories. Listening to our jobseekers hopes, interests and fears ensures we can help them set achievable goals towards getting their ideal employment.
Richmond staff gain the trust of our job seekers, employers and networks very quickly, because we’re interested in them and committed to working together. We have a great reputation in the Hawkesbury community and are involved in many community events, including schools, the homeless, cancer and the Special Olympics, just to name a few.
All of the Richmond staff have personal experience with a person with a disability and a Certificate III/IV in Disability Employment. Our manager has extensive experience in mental health, intellectual disability and brain injury. One of our staff, whose parents are deaf, uses Signed English. Another staff member draws on her own family experience of anxiety disorders to use relaxation techniques with her jobseekers
The team is experienced in placing people with all types of barriers into award-wage work of their own choice. We understand that a successful long-term placement is a three-way win - good for the job seeker, the employer and NOVA. Nobody wants to waste time, energy and money through trialling a candidate who is not quite right. We get it right the first time.
We enjoy the particular challenge of working with people who don’t see themselves in work. One of the most satisfying aspects of our work is to see these individuals change their opinion about the potential of work and making informed choices towards their employment goals
