Career Mentor for young adults (Youth Employment)

Connecting Futures Australia is an National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) registered provider of Capacity Building Employment Assistance in regional areas of Victoria, NSW and Queensland.  Services include:

• Weekly Intense Employment supports for School Leavers and recent school Leavers aged 16 – 24
• Employment Assistance, Coordination and Vocational counselling for School Students aged 15 – 18 with Employment Goals aligned to their NDIS plan

The Role

As our Career Mentor, you work as an integral member of our Youth Employment team, working alongside participants aged 15 to 24 to achieve their life and career goals

 This diverse people-centred role supports hands on experiential learning as a key focus for the participants we work alongside.

You will walk alongside our Participants on their journey to achieve their life and career goals by engaging a holistic approach to professional and personal development and growth. Your approach to working through a range of funded, community and industry supports will provide our Participants with practical skills-building capacity, and connection to active employment networks needed to support them.

As a member of our team, you will be one of our most important assets, working in a strength-based culture that values you for who you are, and allows you to be rewarded for your personal and professional skills. You will enjoy regular professional development opportunities as you provide outstanding service and support to our participants.

This diverse role connects each Participant to their goals by:

• Implementing and coordinating Participants NDIS plans
• Assisting to identify and access suitably funded and mainstream supports
• Building capacity for Participants to truly have choice and control
• Working with key stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes for Participants
• Working across funded Support Providers

To succeed as a Career Mentor, you will need:

• Exceptional communication and networking skills
• Demonstrated passion to both support and work alongside a professional team engaging with NDIS Participants and other key stakeholders
• Skills and experience facilitating small groups
• A desire to drive change in the sector
• A desire to work, learn and grow professionally in a team environment
• The ability to work autonomously
• Sound administrative and competent computer skills
• Report writing skills
• The ability to adapt well in a changing environment

An overview of capacity building supports you may be assisting, and mentoring in are:

• Skills matrix/assessment
• Travel training including support with the L2P learner driver program
• Supporting Participants as they complete volunteer work, work experience and /or placement
• Professional Development courses and training
• Facilitating individual and small team projects with a focus on capacity building and professional development
• Daily living skills
• Building confidence
• Building social and communication skills

As a Career Mentor, you will take ownership of the following:

•  Providing one on one support to young adult NDIS Participants supporting them to build capacity around life and career goals
• Travelling to meet Participants on a weekly basis, visiting Participants at home, community spaces and workplaces
• Working with Participants in conjunction with Allied Health professionals, NDIS Support Coordinators, Support Workers and State Department Case Managers
• Encouraging and assisting Participants to engage in their local communities, access volunteer work, work experience and complete courses
• Writing progress reports
• Developing and leading Small Team Projects to build experiential learning opportunities for participants
• Stakeholder engagement and networking a range of Industries to build employment pathways for participants you work alongside

Attributes

• Initiative, leadership and ability to engage others
• Strong time management and organisational skills
• Ability to listen without judgement
• Accountability and the desire to go beyond what is asked of you
• You are a team player that enjoys learning from others, our team are our greatest asset and our values reflect this
• You apply emotional intelligence and understanding when engaging with people and can problem solve and take action as needed
• You are a critical thinker and can coordinate with multiple stakeholders to achieve a common goal
• You have a desire to mentor young people and truly want to see them grow and be seen for the rockstars they are
• You have a drive and passion to explore opportunities rather than focus on barriers

Applying for the position

To learn more about this fantastic opportunity to work in the Disability Sector or to request a Position Description, please call Natalie on 0492 875 725.

To submit your application, please click “apply” and attach:

 Current CV and a Cover letter outlining:

• Your experience working alongside young autistic adults and young adults with a disability
• Your experience collaborating with young adults to achieve their life skills and career goals
• Examples of when you have had to manage and coordinate projects involving multiple stakeholders
• Why you will be our next outstanding Career Mentor at Connecting Futures
• Your experience facilitating capacity building services to people to work towards achieving their goals

Requirements of pre-employment check:

• A current full Victorian Drivers Licence (and access to a reliable vehicle)
• A valid Working with Children’s Check (or willingness to obtain)
• A valid NDIS Worker Screening Check (or willingness to obtain)
• Undertake the NDIS Worker Orientation Module ‘Quality, Safety and You’

Applications close at 5pm on Friday, 10th January 2025. We may close applications earlier should we receive quality applicants we choose to fast-track through the recruitment process.