This podcast explores the array of different roles available within the disability sector as well as common career pathways for workers to pursue.
Get information to assess whether the disability sector would be a good fit for you. Learn more about the skills and qualifications you need to pursue a career in the disability sector. Explore different career pathway opportunities.
In this podcast, Kym Vassiliou shares her own trajectory from working as an Account Manager in the IT sector to becoming a Senior Project and Engagement Officer in the Disability sector. The podcast explores the array of different roles available within the sector, avenues for professional development and progression, as well as common career pathways for entry level support workers to other careers in the disability sector such as support coordination and/or management. Learn more about the skills, qualifications, and personal qualities that would make you an excellent fit for working in disability and kickstart your career today.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:05):
Hello everybody.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
My name is Lourdes Zamanillo and I'm a senior policy and project officer working at NDS in the workforce division.
I'd like to start by acknowledging that we're sitting in the lands of the Wurundjuri people of the Kulin nation to acknowledge all elders past present and emerging and any aboriginal people who may be hearing this podcast today.
(00:26):
Well,
part of my role within NDS is to focus on workforce retention issues and as you probably are all aware,
workforce retention is one of the main challenges that we're facing in the disability sector at the moment.
And in that sense,
one of the things that have a close correlation with people leaving the sector that we found so far is that there are no clear career pathways for workers coming into the sector in the sense that a lot of people coming into the sector might be attracted to it because it's got flexible in terms of schedules.
(00:59):
So for example,
international students can do studying and,
and have a job in the disability sector at the same time.
And the jobs in the disability sector also offer a lot of meaningful,
meaningful roles that are attractive to,
to the population.
That being said there isn't necessarily a lot of visibility as to what you can do as part of the disability sector.
(01:23):
And I'm joined today by Kym Vassiliou
also at NDS.
She's a project and engagement officer who's got a wealth of experience in the disability sector and will talk to us about all the different things that you can do within it that are way beyond the better well known support worker role.
So first and foremost,
(01:44):
welcome,
Kym.
Thank you for joining me.
Thanks,
thanks for having me.
So maybe I'd like to start by asking you a bit about your background so that we get to know you better.
So tell me a bit more about your story.
How did you end up in the disability sector?
Yeah.
Thanks for asking.
Well,
I guess it's,
it's never too late to change careers.
(02:04):
So,
there were two reasons why I changed from my role as an account manager in the IT sector actually.
Um and one was a health diagnosis that made me reassess my purpose for life and for work.
And secondly,
(02:25):
a family member who was diagnosed with a disability and I found she was not included in family,
social events.
And I wanted to understand why.
So I educated myself on her condition and became interested in the science behind hidden disabilities.
(02:48):
So I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way to improve other people's lives.
That was the reason why and working as an account manager in it,
selling cloud based software to organizations around safety and compliance.
It required skills to build relationships with organizations to sell company services in a technical and non-tangible environment.
(03:18):
So I hope that my work and life experience both from my own health diagnosis and my learnings from improving the quality of my relationship with the family member could contribute to the sector.
So I applied for a corporate account manager role in disability,
(03:40):
employment.
And they could see the benefit of my business connections and my ability to promote a service into companies.
So that's where it all started.
Fantastic.
So can you tell us a bit more about your pathway?
So you mentioned where you started?
How long ago was this and how long have you been working in the disability sector?
(04:02):
Yeah,
so that was seven years ago.
Um And uh so I've changed roles throughout that time.
So I've worked across a few different types of roles and in different areas of the sector as well.
So starting with employment and then I went into in home support services and SDA accommodation.
(04:27):
And now I work um as,
in a peak body for disability.
Excellent, Can you tell us a bit more about what do you like about working in the disability sector?
Why did you decide to stay?
Yeah,
sure.
So,
I guess I had the privilege of helping and walking alongside on the journey transforming lives for so many young people.
(04:51):
I've coached them from not being able to see what they could be and thinking that they would be forever looked after by their family uh and not earning an income.
So then earning an income,
having a job and then their goals shift and,
and they start to see a better life for themselves and in terms of potentially getting their car license and driving a car and buying their own home,
(05:23):
even some of them really elevated to that level.
Um So that was really satisfying and not only that also just seeing the family's lives transform as well.
Uh The family members were really impacted as the person with disabilities independence grew.
(05:44):
So it was very satisfying for me.
That sounds amazing.
I I think you highlighted the meaningfulness of the job.
Um and how like making a positive impact in the lives of others and seeing what your work is actually doing and making a difference um as to how that's such a crucial part of the sector and one of the beauties of it in that sense.
(06:05):
Um I'm wondering what does someone need to work in the disability sector?
Are there any?
Uh just because of this alignment with having a positive impact and whatnot.
Are there any personal qualities that you see in people that are drawn to a career in this sector?
Yes,
sure.
I think that um it's,
it's very rewarding.
(06:26):
Uh and you know,
you're contributing to someone's life.
So to work in the sector,
you need heart,
you need a passion for helping others achieve their goals.
Uh And you enable them to be their best self by filling in the gaps that they need help with in order to succeed for themselves.
(06:47):
So,
um yeah,
I think just having the personal qualities of uh you know,
being a problem solver,
uh having good communication skills,
building relationships and having flexibility and um you know,
having integrity and a sense of fairness,
(07:08):
which I think I had all through my high school life.
I was always advocating for somebody.
Um So I've now been able to use that uh for the first time in,
in this sector.
Whereas,
you know,
in my corporate career,
I couldn't really do that.
That sounds wonderful.
(07:29):
Um I'm gonna ask you a similar question.
I think it's the same question but flipped a little bit.
Um But one of the things that we often see with new workers that come into the sector that leave very quickly.
Um One of the reasons behind that is because they come into the sector thinking that it's gonna be a and it turns out to be very different to what they expected.
So they leave very quickly.
(07:50):
So who shouldn't work in the disability sector?
Um,
that's a good question.
I,
I think people who,
like,
they,
they're more concerned about what they,
they get out of the role or job.
Um,
it's more about,
yeah,
what you can do for others,
um,
putting yourself kind of second and,
(08:13):
uh,
so if somebody's too focused on,
you know,
what they want out of the work or,
or the work that you're doing,
it's is possibly not the best career pathway or somebody who's,
you know,
very driven and ambitious and,
and,
and want to like lead the corporate life.
(08:33):
Um It's,
it's not like that,
it's,
you,
you really need to be flexible and work with uh people in and where they are,
they are at as well.
You really need to have that person centered approach.
And so that means listening,
learning everything about that person,
(08:54):
wanting everything for that person and enabling them.
It really did.
And I think you touched on um my next question actually,
um which is you mentioned some of the I guess qualities or,
or things that people do within the disability sector that you mentioned active listening,
for example,
being quite flexible,
(09:14):
having good communication skills.
Um what other skills are necessary for someone going into the disability sector?
Definitely.
Um I think from my perspective,
some of the skills that I've,
I've certainly used from my previous roles have been negotiation skills because I've been working with employers to create positions for people with disability who are looking for work.
(09:39):
Um My project management skills I brought in to work on projects of employment uh for people and administration skills have enabled me to be able to be organized and thorough as well in the intake process with um when bringing on board somebody with disability needing in home care.
(10:01):
Uh So meeting all those compliance requirements has um been a definite benefit, being a parent has provided me with negotiation skills as well as flexibility.
And um II,
I remember a story when I was first working in disability employment and I was helping a young man with a data entry task on the job.
(10:34):
And I had to sit on my hands because being a mum you wanna help.
But um you've gotta let them do it themselves and no matter how long it takes,
you've gotta sit there and just wait for them to figure it out and,
and do it themselves.
So sitting on my hands was a technique that I used so that I wouldn't take over the keyboard.
(10:58):
It sounds like patience.
It's another one of the skills that you need to have over the attributes.
Yes,
100%.
Um in terms of skills as well,
I think one of the myths um or,
or the common misconceptions that we have is that um I guess all the skills that we're talking about are for a front line workers and disability support worker kind of role.
(11:20):
But um I think you mentioned from the beginning,
like your pathway was quite different because you came from it and from a corporate perspective,
um are there any transferable skills that like people coming from other sectors that might be interested in,
in having maybe a more meaningful role or something that is contributing to the community in the disability sector.
What are some of the transferable skills that can be used and that are actually quite needed in the sector that maybe people are not so aware of?
(11:46):
Yeah,
I uh well,
certainly my career pathway is more of a drunken sailor rather than a straight career ladder.
Um And I've also done the same kind of thing like moving across the sector from employment to in home support and now in policy.
(12:06):
So um it's quite varied.
And so I,
I think um certainly people from the hospitality industry have that caring,
the interpersonal skills with customers.
Um And uh yeah,
(12:26):
then there's the hygiene as well.
Um And infection control,
all of those kinds of things.
They could all be used certainly in the disability sector,
allied health professionals as well can be able to transfer some of their skills in terms of time and motion and all that kind of thing.
(12:51):
And so that certainly helps when if you were to be supporting some,
someone with a disability,
um,
you've really got to think ahead and think through the steps of doing something.
Um,
uh,
as an example,
there was a,
someone I worked with and she was working in a,
a mail room and,
(13:13):
uh,
she,
they decided that she couldn't do the task because of a disability with her hand.
Uh,
so she couldn't hold these labels that she was supposed to then put a rubber band around.
So uh they decided that she couldn't do the work.
And I said,
so using those project management and time and motion kind of study,
(13:38):
um I worked out that you could just like put the labels on the side of a desk and she could rest her other hand on the desk while she wrapped the rubber band around the label.
So it's kind of like that problem solving um as well,
which is a great attribute for the sector,
(13:58):
I think.
Excellent.
Now,
um let's talk qualifications.
What qualifications does someone need to start working in the disability sector?
I think that's a beautiful thing about this industry is that you can have a qualification based on the level of work that you're at.
So and then progress up.
(14:20):
Um so certainly uh starting with a certificate three and individualized care um uh support rather is a good starting point.
Definitely.
Um And then you can go on and do for disability and then uh even even a certificate for training and assessment is um could even be useful in this type of role if you're facilitating training,
(14:50):
for example,
uh for people um in,
in,
in work environments to teach them about disability.
Um And then going up to a,
you know,
diploma of community services um as well and then bachelor studies as well.
So,
yeah,
so you and you can basically map out,
(15:13):
I guess uh qualifications for various roles along that career pathway.
Um Can you maybe tell me a bit more about these different types of roles?
So like um and I'm happy to go to different levels of detail,
like um so say if if someone like out of the blue tomorrow wants to change their career,
would they need to start with a qualification before they can get any role in the sector?
(15:35):
So not necessarily um it certainly helps,
but um a career pathway in the disability sector can start with a lived experience with self or family.
Um It can be being a parent and caring for Children can provide you with those transferable skills of flexibility,
(15:58):
patience and negotiation.
If you have teenagers,
um volunteering can help build your knowledge and experience in the sector as well.
Um But you know,
working as a disability support worker to start with is a good option.
Um then increase your confidence,
(16:19):
knowledge and skills around working with people with disability.
So then you can branch out to different areas within the business.
Like me,
I crossed over different areas of the sector.
Um I kind of went backwards.
I did the reverse.
So III I had a postgraduate degree in business because of my IT role obviously.
(16:42):
But then um I did a cert 4 in training and assessment and then a cert 4 in disability and then I got an intake role.
So then I decided to go and do some disability support work.
Um which was an interesting experience because I,
I only did it so that I understood what it was like for the support workers going in to support my,
(17:05):
my customers.
And I only did it for three,
I did three shifts with this gentleman and um he asked me back and I ended up working with him for a year.
So after my 9 to 5 job.
So that's funny.
You never know where life is going to take you.
(17:26):
That's for sure.
That's right.
Um ok,
so um someone who's been qualified can start as a disability support worker.
Can you tell me a bit more about the cert three and the kinds of skills and experience and potential roles that that would give someone?
Yeah,
so cert three is definitely more focused around your domestic assistance um or your um entry level support,
(17:48):
direct support worker.
Um And so it's more about uh the practical side of uh supporting somebody uh with a disability.
Um Yeah,
and the role obviously is more your direct support or community support worker.
What about the Cert 4?
(18:09):
Cert 4 gives you more the compliance framework.
So it's uh a lot more detailed and gives you that framework to um almost go into like workforce and strategy and more um you know,
working around quality and uh process and procedure.
(18:34):
So it could you then uh elevate you to like a team leader role,
for example?
Excellent.
Do people need to have a cert three to do a cert four?
Not necessarily?
No.
So it would be more about the focus that they wanna have.
Like if someone's more people oriented or one that direct service is delivery,
a cert three is a better fit and they want to go more into team leading and whatnot.
(18:57):
A cert four is a better option.
Yeah.
Um ok.
What about the diploma,
your diploma uh again,
probably more your team leader level.
Um I guess and also um anyone who wants to perhaps have a career pathway to management um roster,
(19:18):
the workforce as well.
Um There's a lot of complexities in that and also just understanding the whole community service area uh and the way that everything interrelates with each other.
So it's a bit deeper in terms of the frameworks,
I think.
Um what are some of the positions that someone with a diploma might be looking to diploma again?
(19:43):
Yeah,
you're looking at like your roster managers and uh customer experience managers,
the more that management level,
I think so.
Yeah,
or team leader.
Ok.
So that's,
that's a very clear cut career ladder in that sense.
Um One of the other things that we notice quite a bit in the disability sector is that not everybody is really interested into climbing that career ladder and going from,
(20:08):
you know,
again,
a person and client focused role to the management of not everybody wants to become a manager.
Um Can you tell me a bit more about the degree of mobility within the sector?
Like can someone move horizontally so to speak into different types of roles?
Yeah,
so I guess my ex my example,
a good one for that.
(20:29):
So uh working in disability,
employment,
uh working with individuals and helping them find employment,
but also working with employers and uh setting up the framework,
uh I guess the scaffolding to support the person with disability uh in the workplace and then supporting them on the job as well.
(20:54):
So different skills were required for that type of role.
Um And then working with in home supports.
So when I moved over to in home supports,
the manager recognize that a lot of the skills that I had working with the different stakeholders,
for example,
(21:15):
um enabled me to use those skills in,
in home as well.
Excellent,
what would be a good resource?
So I'm thinking like I'm trying to think as a as someone who wants to go into the disability sector.
Um But maybe don't,
doesn't have that,
that good clarity in terms of the bigger picture.
Um Are there any good resource out there for people who are looking at building a career pathway into the disability sector or who want to learn more about the current opportunities within it?
(21:43):
I think there's a uh quite a few different areas.
I think the uh N Ds have uh a few resources of course that you can go to.
But Tafe are obviously are another good source in terms of the types of courses and certificates that you can achieve there.
(22:07):
Um And uh in,
in government also has um several different resources that you can use as well.
I think in that sense,
um One thing that comes to mind is the Ndis Capability Framework,
um which was recently launched as well to,
(22:27):
to provide kind of that career pathway visibility.
Um So that might be something worth looking into um which again is standardized at a national level and whatnot.
So it's,
it's quite useful in that sense.
I guess I the other thing would be looking at it from a supervisor perspective.
So I think we've been talking about like as,
as a prospective career um or,
(22:49):
or,
or job applicant,
like what are their prospects,
what are the different roles available and whatnot?
But as a potential employer,
um how can disability service providers support their staff in setting up their their career pathways and kind of like having that bigger picture in the sense of like,
you're not only on boarding for this one role right now where you like conduction on boarding and then you're set.
(23:12):
But how can supervisors really?
Um,
I,
I guess have that conversation with um,
new staff to make sure that that career pathway is um I included or considered when they come into the sector.
Um Yes.
So I I think that um organizations definitely need,
(23:33):
need to look at their induction process and uh providing those pathways within the organizations and be open to uh the transferable skills across the organization as well.
Um Offering training and traineeships is also an excellent way to um bring new people into the sector and then by investing into them,
(23:58):
I think that they'll stay longer as well and know that if they've got those opportunities,
I think to like with in the disability sector,
there's so many different areas,
you know,
you can have cus there's the front office roles,
which is your customer facing your call center,
um your disability support workers and then there's your back office roles.
(24:22):
So you're roster,
workforce coordination,
call center and administration roles.
So um management then as well.
So it's kind of like three different areas I think um in each of the organizations that offer services to people with disability.
(24:43):
Yeah.
So that's,
there's quite a bit of mobility in that sense.
And as long as I,
the main thing um from my perspective is um having that open conversation with your new staff members to make sure that you like,
you already have all this wealth of opportunities within your own organization.
But being able to,
to have that conversation,
to know what their interests are so that you're able to match them to whatever role will give them the most um learning opportunities and career development um as possible.
(25:11):
Um In that sense,
I,
I would like to like we do have an NDS and a disability sector workforce retention page which has some excellent resources that we're um compiling to support disability service providers with their workforce retention practices,
including supervision.
And within that one of the resources that we have is um a checklist for your 1st 12,
(25:32):
your employees,
1st 12 months in the job,
which have some questions worth um touching base with,
with your employees in their induction.
Um and some other tools like the five conversation framework,
um which has some questions around supervision that can help people start nutting out their own career pathway because sometimes the,
the,
the employee doesn't even know,
you know,
and,
and as a supervisor,
(25:52):
you can help support them in,
in having those self reflection opportunities.
Um We're nearing the end of our chat,
Kym.
So just before we wrap up,
is there anything else you'd like to say that we didn't touch on?
No,
I just think that it's a great sector to be working in especially for people who want to make a difference in other people's lives.
(26:15):
And um you can work in any area that offers a service to people with disability who need reliable staff with heart.
So,
ok,
thank you so much for your time,
Kym um very well and for a very valuable instance and for sharing your own experience.
And yes,
as Kym said,
um the disability sector has so many opportunities in it.
(26:38):
It's got a wealth and breadth of roles available.
And um the government has stipulated about that by 2025 we need more than 200,000 new workers in the sector.
So it's definitely a sector that needs people.
So if you've got a passion for people,
come join us,
it's an excellent um career and it,
(27:00):
it's got something for everyone.
And if you wanna learn more,
go and check out the NDIS capability framework and NDS website.
Um Well,
thank you all so much for joining us today and hope you have a lovely evening and get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Kim.
Thank you.
Hello everybody.
Thank you so much for joining us today.
My name is Lourdes Zamanillo and I'm a senior policy and project officer working at NDS in the workforce division.
I'd like to start by acknowledging that we're sitting in the lands of the Wurundjuri people of the Kulin nation to acknowledge all elders past present and emerging and any aboriginal people who may be hearing this podcast today.
(00:26):
Well,
part of my role within NDS is to focus on workforce retention issues and as you probably are all aware,
workforce retention is one of the main challenges that we're facing in the disability sector at the moment.
And in that sense,
one of the things that have a close correlation with people leaving the sector that we found so far is that there are no clear career pathways for workers coming into the sector in the sense that a lot of people coming into the sector might be attracted to it because it's got flexible in terms of schedules.
(00:59):
So for example,
international students can do studying and,
and have a job in the disability sector at the same time.
And the jobs in the disability sector also offer a lot of meaningful,
meaningful roles that are attractive to,
to the population.
That being said there isn't necessarily a lot of visibility as to what you can do as part of the disability sector.
(01:23):
And I'm joined today by Kym Vassiliou
also at NDS.
She's a project and engagement officer who's got a wealth of experience in the disability sector and will talk to us about all the different things that you can do within it that are way beyond the better well known support worker role.
So first and foremost,
(01:44):
welcome,
Kym.
Thank you for joining me.
Thanks,
thanks for having me.
So maybe I'd like to start by asking you a bit about your background so that we get to know you better.
So tell me a bit more about your story.
How did you end up in the disability sector?
Yeah.
Thanks for asking.
Well,
I guess it's,
it's never too late to change careers.
(02:04):
So,
there were two reasons why I changed from my role as an account manager in the IT sector actually.
Um and one was a health diagnosis that made me reassess my purpose for life and for work.
And secondly,
(02:25):
a family member who was diagnosed with a disability and I found she was not included in family,
social events.
And I wanted to understand why.
So I educated myself on her condition and became interested in the science behind hidden disabilities.
(02:48):
So I wanted to contribute in a meaningful way to improve other people's lives.
That was the reason why and working as an account manager in it,
selling cloud based software to organizations around safety and compliance.
It required skills to build relationships with organizations to sell company services in a technical and non-tangible environment.
(03:18):
So I hope that my work and life experience both from my own health diagnosis and my learnings from improving the quality of my relationship with the family member could contribute to the sector.
So I applied for a corporate account manager role in disability,
(03:40):
employment.
And they could see the benefit of my business connections and my ability to promote a service into companies.
So that's where it all started.
Fantastic.
So can you tell us a bit more about your pathway?
So you mentioned where you started?
How long ago was this and how long have you been working in the disability sector?
(04:02):
Yeah,
so that was seven years ago.
Um And uh so I've changed roles throughout that time.
So I've worked across a few different types of roles and in different areas of the sector as well.
So starting with employment and then I went into in home support services and SDA accommodation.
(04:27):
And now I work um as,
in a peak body for disability.
Excellent, Can you tell us a bit more about what do you like about working in the disability sector?
Why did you decide to stay?
Yeah,
sure.
So,
I guess I had the privilege of helping and walking alongside on the journey transforming lives for so many young people.
(04:51):
I've coached them from not being able to see what they could be and thinking that they would be forever looked after by their family uh and not earning an income.
So then earning an income,
having a job and then their goals shift and,
and they start to see a better life for themselves and in terms of potentially getting their car license and driving a car and buying their own home,
(05:23):
even some of them really elevated to that level.
Um So that was really satisfying and not only that also just seeing the family's lives transform as well.
Uh The family members were really impacted as the person with disabilities independence grew.
(05:44):
So it was very satisfying for me.
That sounds amazing.
I I think you highlighted the meaningfulness of the job.
Um and how like making a positive impact in the lives of others and seeing what your work is actually doing and making a difference um as to how that's such a crucial part of the sector and one of the beauties of it in that sense.
(06:05):
Um I'm wondering what does someone need to work in the disability sector?
Are there any?
Uh just because of this alignment with having a positive impact and whatnot.
Are there any personal qualities that you see in people that are drawn to a career in this sector?
Yes,
sure.
I think that um it's,
it's very rewarding.
(06:26):
Uh and you know,
you're contributing to someone's life.
So to work in the sector,
you need heart,
you need a passion for helping others achieve their goals.
Uh And you enable them to be their best self by filling in the gaps that they need help with in order to succeed for themselves.
(06:47):
So,
um yeah,
I think just having the personal qualities of uh you know,
being a problem solver,
uh having good communication skills,
building relationships and having flexibility and um you know,
having integrity and a sense of fairness,
(07:08):
which I think I had all through my high school life.
I was always advocating for somebody.
Um So I've now been able to use that uh for the first time in,
in this sector.
Whereas,
you know,
in my corporate career,
I couldn't really do that.
That sounds wonderful.
(07:29):
Um I'm gonna ask you a similar question.
I think it's the same question but flipped a little bit.
Um But one of the things that we often see with new workers that come into the sector that leave very quickly.
Um One of the reasons behind that is because they come into the sector thinking that it's gonna be a and it turns out to be very different to what they expected.
So they leave very quickly.
(07:50):
So who shouldn't work in the disability sector?
Um,
that's a good question.
I,
I think people who,
like,
they,
they're more concerned about what they,
they get out of the role or job.
Um,
it's more about,
yeah,
what you can do for others,
um,
putting yourself kind of second and,
(08:13):
uh,
so if somebody's too focused on,
you know,
what they want out of the work or,
or the work that you're doing,
it's is possibly not the best career pathway or somebody who's,
you know,
very driven and ambitious and,
and,
and want to like lead the corporate life.
(08:33):
Um It's,
it's not like that,
it's,
you,
you really need to be flexible and work with uh people in and where they are,
they are at as well.
You really need to have that person centered approach.
And so that means listening,
learning everything about that person,
(08:54):
wanting everything for that person and enabling them.
It really did.
And I think you touched on um my next question actually,
um which is you mentioned some of the I guess qualities or,
or things that people do within the disability sector that you mentioned active listening,
for example,
being quite flexible,
(09:14):
having good communication skills.
Um what other skills are necessary for someone going into the disability sector?
Definitely.
Um I think from my perspective,
some of the skills that I've,
I've certainly used from my previous roles have been negotiation skills because I've been working with employers to create positions for people with disability who are looking for work.
(09:39):
Um My project management skills I brought in to work on projects of employment uh for people and administration skills have enabled me to be able to be organized and thorough as well in the intake process with um when bringing on board somebody with disability needing in home care.
(10:01):
Uh So meeting all those compliance requirements has um been a definite benefit, being a parent has provided me with negotiation skills as well as flexibility.
And um II,
I remember a story when I was first working in disability employment and I was helping a young man with a data entry task on the job.
(10:34):
And I had to sit on my hands because being a mum you wanna help.
But um you've gotta let them do it themselves and no matter how long it takes,
you've gotta sit there and just wait for them to figure it out and,
and do it themselves.
So sitting on my hands was a technique that I used so that I wouldn't take over the keyboard.
(10:58):
It sounds like patience.
It's another one of the skills that you need to have over the attributes.
Yes,
100%.
Um in terms of skills as well,
I think one of the myths um or,
or the common misconceptions that we have is that um I guess all the skills that we're talking about are for a front line workers and disability support worker kind of role.
(11:20):
But um I think you mentioned from the beginning,
like your pathway was quite different because you came from it and from a corporate perspective,
um are there any transferable skills that like people coming from other sectors that might be interested in,
in having maybe a more meaningful role or something that is contributing to the community in the disability sector.
What are some of the transferable skills that can be used and that are actually quite needed in the sector that maybe people are not so aware of?
(11:46):
Yeah,
I uh well,
certainly my career pathway is more of a drunken sailor rather than a straight career ladder.
Um And I've also done the same kind of thing like moving across the sector from employment to in home support and now in policy.
(12:06):
So um it's quite varied.
And so I,
I think um certainly people from the hospitality industry have that caring,
the interpersonal skills with customers.
Um And uh yeah,
(12:26):
then there's the hygiene as well.
Um And infection control,
all of those kinds of things.
They could all be used certainly in the disability sector,
allied health professionals as well can be able to transfer some of their skills in terms of time and motion and all that kind of thing.
(12:51):
And so that certainly helps when if you were to be supporting some,
someone with a disability,
um,
you've really got to think ahead and think through the steps of doing something.
Um,
uh,
as an example,
there was a,
someone I worked with and she was working in a,
a mail room and,
(13:13):
uh,
she,
they decided that she couldn't do the task because of a disability with her hand.
Uh,
so she couldn't hold these labels that she was supposed to then put a rubber band around.
So uh they decided that she couldn't do the work.
And I said,
so using those project management and time and motion kind of study,
(13:38):
um I worked out that you could just like put the labels on the side of a desk and she could rest her other hand on the desk while she wrapped the rubber band around the label.
So it's kind of like that problem solving um as well,
which is a great attribute for the sector,
(13:58):
I think.
Excellent.
Now,
um let's talk qualifications.
What qualifications does someone need to start working in the disability sector?
I think that's a beautiful thing about this industry is that you can have a qualification based on the level of work that you're at.
So and then progress up.
(14:20):
Um so certainly uh starting with a certificate three and individualized care um uh support rather is a good starting point.
Definitely.
Um And then you can go on and do for disability and then uh even even a certificate for training and assessment is um could even be useful in this type of role if you're facilitating training,
(14:50):
for example,
uh for people um in,
in,
in work environments to teach them about disability.
Um And then going up to a,
you know,
diploma of community services um as well and then bachelor studies as well.
So,
yeah,
so you and you can basically map out,
(15:13):
I guess uh qualifications for various roles along that career pathway.
Um Can you maybe tell me a bit more about these different types of roles?
So like um and I'm happy to go to different levels of detail,
like um so say if if someone like out of the blue tomorrow wants to change their career,
would they need to start with a qualification before they can get any role in the sector?
(15:35):
So not necessarily um it certainly helps,
but um a career pathway in the disability sector can start with a lived experience with self or family.
Um It can be being a parent and caring for Children can provide you with those transferable skills of flexibility,
(15:58):
patience and negotiation.
If you have teenagers,
um volunteering can help build your knowledge and experience in the sector as well.
Um But you know,
working as a disability support worker to start with is a good option.
Um then increase your confidence,
(16:19):
knowledge and skills around working with people with disability.
So then you can branch out to different areas within the business.
Like me,
I crossed over different areas of the sector.
Um I kind of went backwards.
I did the reverse.
So III I had a postgraduate degree in business because of my IT role obviously.
(16:42):
But then um I did a cert 4 in training and assessment and then a cert 4 in disability and then I got an intake role.
So then I decided to go and do some disability support work.
Um which was an interesting experience because I,
I only did it so that I understood what it was like for the support workers going in to support my,
(17:05):
my customers.
And I only did it for three,
I did three shifts with this gentleman and um he asked me back and I ended up working with him for a year.
So after my 9 to 5 job.
So that's funny.
You never know where life is going to take you.
(17:26):
That's for sure.
That's right.
Um ok,
so um someone who's been qualified can start as a disability support worker.
Can you tell me a bit more about the cert three and the kinds of skills and experience and potential roles that that would give someone?
Yeah,
so cert three is definitely more focused around your domestic assistance um or your um entry level support,
(17:48):
direct support worker.
Um And so it's more about uh the practical side of uh supporting somebody uh with a disability.
Um Yeah,
and the role obviously is more your direct support or community support worker.
What about the Cert 4?
(18:09):
Cert 4 gives you more the compliance framework.
So it's uh a lot more detailed and gives you that framework to um almost go into like workforce and strategy and more um you know,
working around quality and uh process and procedure.
(18:34):
So it could you then uh elevate you to like a team leader role,
for example?
Excellent.
Do people need to have a cert three to do a cert four?
Not necessarily?
No.
So it would be more about the focus that they wanna have.
Like if someone's more people oriented or one that direct service is delivery,
a cert three is a better fit and they want to go more into team leading and whatnot.
(18:57):
A cert four is a better option.
Yeah.
Um ok.
What about the diploma,
your diploma uh again,
probably more your team leader level.
Um I guess and also um anyone who wants to perhaps have a career pathway to management um roster,
(19:18):
the workforce as well.
Um There's a lot of complexities in that and also just understanding the whole community service area uh and the way that everything interrelates with each other.
So it's a bit deeper in terms of the frameworks,
I think.
Um what are some of the positions that someone with a diploma might be looking to diploma again?
(19:43):
Yeah,
you're looking at like your roster managers and uh customer experience managers,
the more that management level,
I think so.
Yeah,
or team leader.
Ok.
So that's,
that's a very clear cut career ladder in that sense.
Um One of the other things that we notice quite a bit in the disability sector is that not everybody is really interested into climbing that career ladder and going from,
(20:08):
you know,
again,
a person and client focused role to the management of not everybody wants to become a manager.
Um Can you tell me a bit more about the degree of mobility within the sector?
Like can someone move horizontally so to speak into different types of roles?
Yeah,
so I guess my ex my example,
a good one for that.
(20:29):
So uh working in disability,
employment,
uh working with individuals and helping them find employment,
but also working with employers and uh setting up the framework,
uh I guess the scaffolding to support the person with disability uh in the workplace and then supporting them on the job as well.
(20:54):
So different skills were required for that type of role.
Um And then working with in home supports.
So when I moved over to in home supports,
the manager recognize that a lot of the skills that I had working with the different stakeholders,
for example,
(21:15):
um enabled me to use those skills in,
in home as well.
Excellent,
what would be a good resource?
So I'm thinking like I'm trying to think as a as someone who wants to go into the disability sector.
Um But maybe don't,
doesn't have that,
that good clarity in terms of the bigger picture.
Um Are there any good resource out there for people who are looking at building a career pathway into the disability sector or who want to learn more about the current opportunities within it?
(21:43):
I think there's a uh quite a few different areas.
I think the uh N Ds have uh a few resources of course that you can go to.
But Tafe are obviously are another good source in terms of the types of courses and certificates that you can achieve there.
(22:07):
Um And uh in,
in government also has um several different resources that you can use as well.
I think in that sense,
um One thing that comes to mind is the Ndis Capability Framework,
um which was recently launched as well to,
(22:27):
to provide kind of that career pathway visibility.
Um So that might be something worth looking into um which again is standardized at a national level and whatnot.
So it's,
it's quite useful in that sense.
I guess I the other thing would be looking at it from a supervisor perspective.
So I think we've been talking about like as,
as a prospective career um or,
(22:49):
or,
or job applicant,
like what are their prospects,
what are the different roles available and whatnot?
But as a potential employer,
um how can disability service providers support their staff in setting up their their career pathways and kind of like having that bigger picture in the sense of like,
you're not only on boarding for this one role right now where you like conduction on boarding and then you're set.
(23:12):
But how can supervisors really?
Um,
I,
I guess have that conversation with um,
new staff to make sure that that career pathway is um I included or considered when they come into the sector.
Um Yes.
So I I think that um organizations definitely need,
(23:33):
need to look at their induction process and uh providing those pathways within the organizations and be open to uh the transferable skills across the organization as well.
Um Offering training and traineeships is also an excellent way to um bring new people into the sector and then by investing into them,
(23:58):
I think that they'll stay longer as well and know that if they've got those opportunities,
I think to like with in the disability sector,
there's so many different areas,
you know,
you can have cus there's the front office roles,
which is your customer facing your call center,
um your disability support workers and then there's your back office roles.
(24:22):
So you're roster,
workforce coordination,
call center and administration roles.
So um management then as well.
So it's kind of like three different areas I think um in each of the organizations that offer services to people with disability.
(24:43):
Yeah.
So that's,
there's quite a bit of mobility in that sense.
And as long as I,
the main thing um from my perspective is um having that open conversation with your new staff members to make sure that you like,
you already have all this wealth of opportunities within your own organization.
But being able to,
to have that conversation,
to know what their interests are so that you're able to match them to whatever role will give them the most um learning opportunities and career development um as possible.
(25:11):
Um In that sense,
I,
I would like to like we do have an NDS and a disability sector workforce retention page which has some excellent resources that we're um compiling to support disability service providers with their workforce retention practices,
including supervision.
And within that one of the resources that we have is um a checklist for your 1st 12,
(25:32):
your employees,
1st 12 months in the job,
which have some questions worth um touching base with,
with your employees in their induction.
Um and some other tools like the five conversation framework,
um which has some questions around supervision that can help people start nutting out their own career pathway because sometimes the,
the,
the employee doesn't even know,
you know,
and,
and as a supervisor,
(25:52):
you can help support them in,
in having those self reflection opportunities.
Um We're nearing the end of our chat,
Kym.
So just before we wrap up,
is there anything else you'd like to say that we didn't touch on?
No,
I just think that it's a great sector to be working in especially for people who want to make a difference in other people's lives.
(26:15):
And um you can work in any area that offers a service to people with disability who need reliable staff with heart.
So,
ok,
thank you so much for your time,
Kym um very well and for a very valuable instance and for sharing your own experience.
And yes,
as Kym said,
um the disability sector has so many opportunities in it.
(26:38):
It's got a wealth and breadth of roles available.
And um the government has stipulated about that by 2025 we need more than 200,000 new workers in the sector.
So it's definitely a sector that needs people.
So if you've got a passion for people,
come join us,
it's an excellent um career and it,
(27:00):
it's got something for everyone.
And if you wanna learn more,
go and check out the NDIS capability framework and NDS website.
Um Well,
thank you all so much for joining us today and hope you have a lovely evening and get in touch.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,
Kim.
Thank you.
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