IN March 2020 the world was turned upside down with the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, Reginna Vasi was leading WDEA Works launch of School Leavers Employment Supports (SLES) in Shepparton.
SLES is an NDIS program which provides a pathway and support for young people with a disability who are leaving school and preparing for employment.
“It was a crazy time, launching a new program solely online. For the first few months all of our sessions were done via video conferencing,” said Employment Preparation and Engagement consultant, Reginna Vasi.
“Despite obvious challenges we still found creative ways to encourage online socialising and networking between participants while building their skills and confidence. We also explored different career paths such as online game development,” said Reginna.
“We’ve had some wonderful success. My favourite part of this job is still seeing the participants grow in confidence and achieve their goals, there’s no greater joy than this.”
One year on and SLES is proving to still be a success. WDEA Works is excited to report wonderful progress for participants in finding paid employment in their chosen industries, gaining their learner’s permits, undertaking work experience placements and several industry visits to allow an opportunity to see how different workplaces operate.
“SLES has helped me become more confident in myself and also kept me busy but doing fun stuff. The sessions help with social difficulties and have been a fun way to learn about different jobs.” said WDEA Works participant Blake.
The WDEA Works Shepparton office celebrated the monumental occasion with a small office party.
