K has been accessing Perth Autism Support services over the last 2 years. K’s journey has been a difficult one over these 2 years, however through hard work, and perseverance he has grown so much as an individual, and we at PAS have been fortunate enough to see this growth.
As time went on, K decided he wanted to access our Employability Programme to continue on his journey of self-development and so he was referred to the programme by our Transitions Team.
Prior to the programme K was interested in learning how to update and create a CV and was really intrigued with the opportunity of a work experience which might give lead him into ideas for a future job.
K attended all of the Employability sessions in our Ready to Work Programme, and even attended via Zoom whilst he had Covid-19 so that he wouldn’t miss anything! He participated to a high level and as he was in a comfortable small group environment, with staff he had built relationships with, was always asking questions in all of the sessions.
At the end of the programme, K left the programme with many additional skills and resources including
• SQA Employability Award
• Ability to independently secure a volunteering role with a local Charity Shop using the CV that he had created
• The confidence to apply for part time paid employment whilst he is at college.
• Increased self esteem and confidence in his strengths and abilities
Whilst K was attending the programme, we had a meeting with Marsh Commercial (who had attended one of our Employability team’s Employer Breakfasts) as they were interested in supporting a work experience. K was matched as a good fit for Marsh. Working with the team at Marsh, we helped to identify staff who would be supporting this and arranged for 4 of their staff to receive training on understanding autism.
After the training, we prepared a profile of K to let the staff know his strengths and some of the differences he felt was important for employers to understand, then organised an induction for introductions to one another and a workplace visit prior to the work experience starting.
The work experience was a great success for K who gained experience in an office environment which he really enjoyed. K used the computer for various tasks from opening, scanning and sorting daily post to Company House checks!
It is now time to hear what K had to say about his amazing journey:
“Overall I found the programme helpful and I loved the work experience and [the staff at PAS] were great. I found the mock interview and work experience the most useful and would recommend the programme especially for anyone who doesn’t know the basics as it’s perfect”.
All of the hard work that K has put into his Employability Journey has truly paid off as he has just confirmed that he has got a part time job! The future is very bright for K and we are very proud of his progress and all that he has managed to achieve in his time accessing our Employability services.
