Lilly’s career taking off at Amberley RAAF base

Looking for your first job can be daunting.

For young people that live with disability and have other barriers to employment, this process can be an even greater challenge.

Without the right support, young people just trying to make their way into the world can be left behind.

16-year-old Lilly has an intellectual disability and is one of those young people searching for the right opportunity for her first job.

Recently our Ipswich team met with the teachers, parents, and students at Bremer state high school special education unit to discuss work opportunities within Compass Group’s Rise program.

Rise is a program run in partnership with MAX and Australian Network on Disability to create employment pathways for students with disability by offering traineeships for entry-level roles.

The traineeship is designed to deliver the educational components of students’ hospitality traineeship in a way that is tailored to take advantage of their strengths. 

Compass Group identified an opportunity for Lilly at their RAAF base in Amberley working in the Airmen’s Mess Hall.

Lilly and her Mum were excited about finding the right opportunity to start work and were interested in learning more about jobs that might suit her. 

MAX felt Compass Group, a disability-confident employer and member of Australian Network on Disability, could be a great fit for Lilly and after a thorough walkthrough were excited to recommend Lilly apply for the role of a trainee Food and Beverage Attendant.

After a tour of the Airmen’s Mess Hall, a meeting with her Compass Group supervisor, and most importantly mum’s tick of approval, Lilly felt comfortable and confident to accept the position of Food and Beverage Attendant at the Amberley base.

When day 1 arrived, a team member from MAX was onsite to support Lilly during the onboarding process. 

Lilly was also pleasantly surprised to learn that the supervisor that worked with her mum all those years ago was also going to be her new supervisor!

Since starting work she has thrived within her role at Amberley with her new work colleagues fostering a supportive and inclusive culture. 

Her studies have also been progressing rapidly as a result of the tailored delivery of her tuition, relying on practical real-world examples and face-to-face delivery.