Cain Bailey graduated from high school in 2019. Living with autism, Cain was eligible to join our School Leaver Employment Supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
The aim of the service is to support young people to transition from school to employment through a variety of supports tailored to their individual situation.
For Cain, initially those supports were tailored to helping him gain the confidence he needed to get a job. He knew he wanted to work in hospitality, but anxiety with new people and groups was standing in his way.
His consultant Lauren started with preparing Cain for interviews. After gaining confidence with Lauren, the MAX team at Cragieburn rallied around Cain, taking it in turns asking interview questions. Each team member was new to Cain, so as he practised he grew in confidence.
His newfound interview skills and confidence helped the young man land his first job at a local burger shop. And Lauren’s support hasn’t stopped.
During busy periods at work, Cain can struggle with the pace of fulfilling orders – becoming overwhelmed and sometimes making mistakes.
To help him overcome this, Lauren has worked with Cain in two ways.
“I bought toy burger ingredients, and when Cain comes to the office, we practise with me placing orders and Cain practising making the burgers with the pretend ingredients,” says Lauren.
They practise in different ways and at pace to help Cain stay focused on preparing each order correctly.
Secondly, Lauren has connected Cain with a mental health app, encouraging him to take a moment to reset when things are busy.
“Cain now steps aside when he begins to feel overwhelmed at work, using the app to help calm his mind, before returning to the task ready and focused,” says Lauren.
“Cain’s confidence has grown significantly since starting work and his hopes for the future continue to grow too,” she says.
He hopes to study creative technologies at university in 2022 and Lauren will be part of supporting Cain as he transitions to university.
“I plan to go with Cain to the uni, help familiarise him with the campus and meet together with the course director to see how they can support him to succeed,” says Lauren.
Cain hopes to continue working at the burger shop to help support him throughout his studies.
Congratulations to Cain for being dedicated to improving himself and thank you to Lauren for being part of the MAX team, working to give him every chance of achieving his goals.
The School Leaver Employment Supports is available for eligible school leavers under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
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