[dbaust] Vision Australia Employment Services Update

From: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: Erika Webb <erikaweb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:40:17 -0800 (PST)
Vision Australia Employment Services Update
 
Hello everyone.

With recent discussions on employment I thought I would pass on a couple of 
Vision Australia Employment Services updates for your information.

As you may be aware Vision Australia currently delivers Disability Employment 
services across nine sites-Kensington, Woolloongabba, Caringbah, Enfield 
Canberra, Newcastle, Gosford, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong.

The current Disability Employment Services contract which is funded by the 
Federal Government ends at the beginning of March 2013 and there was a recent 
retender process for delivery of services beyond March 2013.

Unfortunately, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong sites were not successful in the 
retender however our sites at Kensington, Woolloongabba, Caringbah, Enfield, 
Canberra, Newcastle and Gosford will have their contracts extended until March 
2018.

As our current contracts at Coffs Harbour and Wollongong do not end until 3 
March 2013 we will continue to offer a specialist employment service at these 
sites until clients transition to new providers at the beginning of March.

We will also start to work with these new and existing Disability Employment 
Service providers in Coffs Harbour and Wollongong in coming weeks to ensure the 
transition for clients and employers is as smooth and seamless as possible.

In addition, Vision Australia will implement a partnership strategy with 
selected new and existing generalist Disability Employment Services providers 
commencing with the Coffs Harbour and Wollongong region.

While it is disappointing not to have secured contracts at Coffs Harbour and 
Wollongong, the partnership strategy presents new opportunities to create 
blindness and low vision expertise within Generalist Disability Employment 
Services and across a wider geographical area. In particular it is hoped these 
partnerships will create services that better meet the needs of job seekers 
with blindness and low vision in regional areas with smaller populations.

I am also pleased to advise that our Vision Australia Employment staff and 
managers attended a training program run by Dr Karen Wolffe in October. The 
program was a train the trainer three day workshop based on a Pre-Employment 
Program Dr Wolffe has developed in the United States for job seekers with 
blindness and low vision.

This is part of a planned program around the world that will provide key 
information and benchmarks in the area of employment.

We will be rolling out Karen's 3 week Pre Employment Program to clients across 
our Vision Australia sites over January, February and March 2013 and see this 
program as a key tool in increasing employment outcomes for people who are 
blind or have low vision.

Kind Regards

Amelia Ukovic

Amelia Ukovic
Manager Employment Services
Independent Living Services
Vision Australia
454 Glenferrie Road
Kooyong Vic. 3144
Ph 03 9864-9386
M 0439910039
www.visionaustralia.org.au<http://www.visionaustralia.org.au>
ABN: 67 108 391 831
ACN: 108 391 831
[dbaust] Vision Australia Employment Services Update

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