St Albans job seeker takes on Department of Premier and Cabinet finance position
St Albans job seeker Richard first came to MatchWorks seeking an opportunity to improve his skills and find employment.
Richard, 31, had little work history, anxiety and was diagnosed with an intellectual disability from a young age.
Employment consultant Eddy Camilleri referred Richard to complete a course in accounting and finance. He was also earmarked for the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) Work Experience program, which commenced in October 2017.
MatchWorks job seekers who participated in the Department of Premier and Cabinet Work Experience program.
“Richard was successful in gaining a position in the program and was placed in the finance department. This was a fantastic opportunity for him to gain some practical experience,” Eddy said.
MatchWorks Employment Consultant Vivian Dang then supported Richard from this point forward and said he appeared cold and disinterested in his first briefing session for the program.
“He was not very vocal and did not elaborate very well with his answers. However, after interacting with Richard we soon realised he was actually not disinterested, but rather he was nervous and anxious,” Vivian said.
“Richard was put forward to have a meeting with the DPC’s finance branch managers Sujee and Joseph. Richard was tense during the interview and was again very short with his answers while appearing disinterested. But Joseph, who had previous experience with people with Autism, was able to engage Richard a bit further by asking more questions about him and this made him feel a bit more at ease during the interview.”
Richard was chosen for the role as the managers felt he would fit well in the environment when provided with a set of tasks and routines.
“I spoke with the managers on the phone who said they were very happy with Richard’s performance throughout the program. He proved to be a productive and valued team member who was able to understand instructions and achieve them,” Vivian said.
“While communication was identified to be Richard’s biggest difficulty in the first interview, his greatest achievement has been the improvement of his confidence.”
Richard was offered part-time employment with the DPC’s Finance Branch and commenced on December 11, 2017.