Rowan has been a client of The Disability Trust since 2016. Over the past five years he has participated in a number of different programs with The Trust, all of which have helped Rowan to develop his skills and confidence, so the staff are delighted that he is starting his first paid job.
Rowan first attended After-school Care and Vacation Care with The Disability Trust in 2016. These programs allowed him to further develop friendships from school while also making new friends from the wider community, as Alana Pasek, Sport and Recreation Officer for The Disability Trust explains.
“Rowan was also able to learn and develop life skills through visits to local attractions, participating in cooking classes and engaging with other participants. He also went on to build on his life and social skills by attending our camps, where he was able to take part in fun activities, confident that he felt supported in a safe environment away from home.”
Rowan recently started attending The Disability Trust’s Thursday Night with Friends’ program, which has given him the opportunity to socialise with older participants who have shared their experiences in the workforce and of life in general. Rowan was keen to explore the possibility of finding work himself, and expressed a keen interest in working outdoors with his hands, or other manual labour in manufacturing or construction work.
In February 2021, Rowan signed up to The Disability Trust’s Workskills program as a voluntary Disability Employment Services client. Workskills supported Rowan with work experience through a trusted landscaper, Mitchell Brown of Cutback Lawn Services, who offered him work on a need basis.
Keen to further develop his skills, Rowan completed a Certificate II in Retail and Warehousing course through the Australian Retailers Association, where he also obtained a Forklift Licence and Working at Heights ticket. It was during this course that Rowan underwent work experience through Nowra Chemicals. He went on to complete a full-time 8-week course through Productivity Bootcamp, where he learnt the basic skills and work values through hands-on practical learning in the outdoor construction yard in South Nowra.
Recently, Rowan started his first ever paid employment as a casual worker with Nowra Chemicals. Everyone at The Disability Trust is proud of what Rowan has achieved and pleased to be able to offer support.
