Anthony, a young man from Nundah, has struggled to find work in the past due to a vision impairment; now he has hope, thanks to a recently completed an internship at Wesley Hospital called Project SEARCH.
Twenty-three-year-old Anthony is friendly, bright and bubbly. He has faced challenges finding work before. Past opportunities fell through, leaving Anthony discouraged.
After hearing about Project SEARCH, he felt hopeful that the program could provide him with the workplace skills and confidence needed to finally enter the workforce.
“I had different opportunities in the past but they have all seemed to fall through, I heard about Project SEARCH and I thought this would give me the skills and confidence I need to enter the workforce,” Anthony said.
Project SEARCH partners with local businesses to offer internships to young adults with disabilities. The goal is to develop critical workplace skills and secure pathways to secure competitive, stable, and rewarding employment.
“Project SEARCH graduates benefit from being linked with other service providers that can assist them to retain employment at the completion of the program, such as Disability Employment Services providers.”
UnitingCare
“For the first part of the internship we did classroom learning, where we studied workplace health and safety policies, hospital procedures and how to identify risks and hazards,” Anthony said.
Annelise Oosthuizen, manager of the Day Treatment Unit at Wesley Hospital, has high praise for Anthony’s work as an intern. She expressed that Anthony had become a valued member of her team and that his departure was bittersweet.
“He has been a wonderful addition to our team, we have loved having him here so much, he has learned so quickly and he is always so happy and helpful,” Annelise said.
“The impact he has had on our patients is invaluable, some people can be in here for hours and he brightens their day, we will miss him terribly.”
Anthony has a wide range of interests and skills that he hopes will lead to a customer service role, his dream job. His passion for helping people and interacting with the public would make him a natural fit for customer-facing work.
In addition to his enthusiasm for assisting customers, Anthony is a talented musician and singer. He lends his voice to the Voices of Birralee Choir. He is also trained in Braille reading and he has a love for personal training and fitness.
For Anthony, the Wesley Hospital internship through Project SEARCH has been a game-changer. He has thrived in the hospital environment and made excellent progress in developing practical job skills.
Based on his own positive experience, Anthony enthusiastically recommends Project SEARCH to others seeking internships. He describes the program as a “wonderful opportunity” that he would urge others to pursue.
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Visit www.unitingcareqld.com.au to learn more about Project SEARCH.
Published 21-July-2023
