Graduate Opportunities

Graduating from university and embarking on your chosen career is an exciting time. However the job seeking process can sometimes feel confusing, frustrating and complex for graduates, including those with disability. There are decisions to be made about career goals and pathways, work experience opportunities, competition for positions and new skills to be learned in résumé writing and job interviews.

Graduates with disability may find the process easier if they are able to effectively and confidently deal with issues related to disclosing disability, negotiating workplace adjustments and flexible work practices with an employer. It is also useful to have a broad knowledge of anti-discrimination legislation covering disability employment.

Careers for Graduates with Disability, published by Graduate Careers Australia, is a helpful resource on issues confronting graduates with disability. If you or someone you know has a disability and is a university student, recent graduate or a person with tertiary qualifications seeking to re-enter employment then visit www.graduatecareers.com.au to download a copy or pick it up at your university careers service.

Although graduates with disability make a significant contribution to the Australian workplace, studies have shown they experience a greater level of unemployment than those without disability. In addition they are more likely to be under-employed or in an area outside their desired career, be working part time or self employed. However, evidence suggests that once in employment, they are equally if not more productive, take fewer sick days and remain in the job longer than their colleagues without disability. This contradicts many negative stereotypes about disability in employment and shows that there is a strong business case for employing graduates with disability.

This is an edited extract of “Careers for Graduates with Disability” by Paralympic Athlete and Motivational Speaker Marayke Jonkers.
Statistics courtesy of: Australian Employers’ Network on Disability, ‘Fact Sheet-Business Benefits of Employing People with Disability’ – www.aend.org.au

The Stats – what employers say:

• Over 90% of employers who had recently
employed a person with disability said they
would be happy to continue to employ people
with disability.
• 78% of employers described the match between
their employee with disability and the job as ‘good’.
• 86% of employees with disability have
average or superior attendance records.
• 90% of employees with disability record productivity
rates equal to or greater than other workers.
• 98% of employees with disability have
average or superior safety records.
• In relation to the cost benefit of workplace
accommodations for employees with disability,
65% of employers rated the financial effect to be
cost neutral and 20% identified an overall financial
benefit.
• Employees with disability averaged one-sixth
the recorded occupational health and safety
incidents of other employees.

MUST SEE sites

www.employersnetworkondisability.com.au
www.crsaustralia.gov.au
www.centrelink.gov.au
www.disabilitylifestyles.org.au
www.diversityatwork.com.au
www.hreoc.gov.au
www.jobaccess.gov.au/joac