New Resource Helps Prepare Girls With Disabilities For Work

The Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, has published "Impact: Feature Issue on Employment and Women with Disabilities, " a publication offering personal stories, strategies, research, and resources to enhance employment options for girls and women with disabilities. The publication can be found at

http://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/211

Student outcomes 2008

This publication presents information about the outcomes for students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) during 2007. The Student Outcomes Survey focuses on students' employment outcomes and satisfaction with VET in Australia. Information about the level and type of training students undertake, further study patterns and reasons for not continuing with the training (where applicable) is also collected.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2083.html

Apprentices and trainees - June quarter 2008

This publication provides estimates of apprentice and trainee activity for the quarter ending 30 June 2008. An apprentice or trainee is a person undertaking a contract of training with an employer and a training provider.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2092.html

National Mental Health and Disability Employment Strategy Update - Setting the Direction

Was released by the Hon Brendan O'Connor MP, Minister for Employment Participation, and the Hon Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, on Monday 22 December 2008.

For more information go to http://www.workplace.gov.au/workplace/Publications/PolicyReviews/EmploymentStrategy/NationalMentalHealthandDisabilityEmploymentStrategy.htm

Australian Public Service Statistics

The latest Australian Public Service Data for the four EEO groups - Women, Indigenous Australians, People with disability and Non-English speaking background for 30 June 1994 to 30 June 2008 can be found at

http://www.apsc.gov.au/stateoftheservice/0708/statistics/eeo.htm

New ODEP Survey: Employer Perspectives on Employing People with Disabilities

The U.S. Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has released a new survey that looked at employer views on hiring and employing people with disabilities. Researchers interviewed executives from over 3,797 companies representing 12 industry sectors, including projected high growth industries. Key results:

- 19.1% of US companies employ people with disabilities (small companies, 10.7%; medium, 22.6%; and large, 53.1%)

- 8.7% report having hired people with disabilities in the past 12 months.

- Work  that cannot be effectively performed by a person with a disability is cited as a hiring challenge by 72.6% of all companies.

- Companies that do not actively recruit cited information about performance, productivity, and how hiring people with disabilities can benefit a company's bottom line as the most persuasive information, while information about cost is the least persuasive.

- Information on satisfactory job performance and how hiring people with disabilities can increase a company's productivity are cited by small and medium-sized company as most persuasive.

To download the report: http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/research/index.htm

(TRN Disability Update - February, 2009)

US Census Releases Data on Americans with Disabilities

About one in five U.S. residents - 19 percent - reported some level of disability in 2005, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released December 18. These 54.4 million Americans are roughly equal to the combined total populations of California and Florida. Both the number and percentage of people with disabilities were higher than in 2002, the last time the Census Bureau collected such information. At that time, 51.2 million, or 18 percent, reported a disability.

 Among those with a disability, 35 million, or 12 percent of the population, were classified as having a severe disability. Among people 25 to 64 with a severe disability, 27 percent were in poverty, compared with 12 percent for people with a nonsevere disability and 9 percent for those without a disability. Median monthly earnings were $1,458 for people with a severe disability, $2,250 for people with a nonsevere disability and $2,539 for those with no disability.

 Nearly half (46 percent) of people age 21 to 64 with a disability were employed, compared with 84 percent of people in this age group without a disability. Among those with disabilities, 31 percent with severe disabilities and 75 percent with nonsevere disabilities were employed.

 A portion of people with disabilities -- 11 million age 6 and older -- needed personal assistance with everyday activities. These activities include such tasks as getting around inside the home, taking a bath or shower, preparing meals and performing light housework.

For more information:

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/013041.html

(TRN Disability Update - February, 2009)

State of the Service Report 2007–08

The State of the Service Report 2007–08 details the activities and human resource management practices of the APS during the 2007–08 financial year.

The report can be read at

http://www.apsc.gov.au/stateoftheservice/0708/index.html

Recognising non-formal and informal learning: Participant insights and perspectives

Larry Smith, Berwyn Clayton

Recognition of prior learning has been a longstanding major policy initiative within the education and training landscape. This report provides insights into how people become aware of their recognition options and explores factors that encourage or inhibit access to recognition of prior learning. This may assist practitioners offering recognition of prior learning services to make changes which could enhance the experience for those people wishing to pursue this pathway.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2084.html

What has been happening to vocational education and training diplomas and advanced diplomas?

Tom Karmel

Recent trends in the provision of vocational education and training (VET) diplomas and advanced diplomas are outlined in this paper. The paper also looks at how people with diplomas and advanced diplomas are faring in the labour market. The picture is rather mixed, suggesting that those with diplomas and advanced diplomas fare, on average, better than those with other VET qualifications or no post-school qualifications.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2090.html

Disability and learning outcomes: How much does the disability really matter?

Students with a disability tend to have poorer educational outcomes in VET than the average over all students. This paper sought to isolate the direct effect of being a member of a particular disability group. It found that the direct effect of the disability differs between groups, and is highest for those with a mental illness, a medical condition or a physical disability.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2017.html

New EEOC Publication Aimed at Increasing Jobs for People with Disabilities in Federal Employment

The percentage of federal employees with targeted disabilities, which are severe physical or mental disabilities, has declined each year since reaching a peak of 1.24% in 1993 and 1994. In 2007, the participation rate of people with targeted disabilities declined to 0.92% of the federal government’s total work force, the lowest participation rate in more than 20 years.

In response, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has developed a LEAD Initiative (Leadership for the Employment of Americans with Disabilities), which aims to boost the ranks of individuals with disabilities in federal employment to 2% by 2010. The new question-and-answer guide responds to frequently asked questions about what the law allows and requires federal agencies to do with respect to affirmative hiring and employment of individuals with disabilities.

http://www.eeoc.gov/federal/qanda-employment-with-disabilities.html

Disability communication guide

This newly revised best practice guide provides advice on disability etiquette for businesses that want to get it right on disability.

The guidance is easy to read and illustrated with cartoons.

It will enable you to:

• Recognise and avoid the attitudes and behaviours that create barriers and misunderstandings
• Be more comfortable working with disabled colleagues
• Develop a greater understanding of the views and preferences of disabled people

Communicate your commitment to getting it right on disability

• Co-brand guides with your disability equality statement to communicate your commitment to this issue
• License these guides for your intranet enabling easy access for all employees

Price £4.50 per copy, £2.30 per copy for members.

Minimum order five copies

Co-branding and licensing require a minimum order of 500 copies/users.

For further info call the EFD publications team on 020 7089 2410 or email publications@efd.org.uk

© 2008 Employers' Forum on Disability.

The 6th edition of the Community Active Careers “Work that Matters” e-newsletter.

Click on a coloured tab above to jump down to the section you're interested in.

The Community Active Careers’ team hope you find this edition interesting and helpful. We welcome feedback, enquiries and requests.

http://sodamail.sodafizz.com.au/viewEmail.aspx?cID=75D544CD29989D4D&sID=59F6F44BDEEB2530&dID=5CB9CB5A1CE688CE

Private returns to vocational education and training qualifications

Michael Long, Chandra Shah

This report summarises the costs and benefits of studying for a VET qualification. It finds that generally students have an adequate economic incentive to enrol in VET. The best returns were for students who study higher-level qualifications (certificate III upwards), and do so part-time.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2011.htm

The EU has recently launched an interesting publication.

The Social Situation in the EU 2007. It is available at:
http://ec.europa. eu/employment_ social/spsi/ docs/social_ situation/ ssr2007_en. Pdf

The 2007 Social Situation Report presents some key findings from the EU's new tool for monitoring the social situation and, in the future, social trends, namely the EU-SILC (Statistics on Income and Living Conditions).

It looks at income inequality and how this is related to economic performance and at how people on low incomes are distributed across the EU as a whole. Disability is well represented throughout the report. Two sections in this report look notably at the transmission of social disadvantages from one generation to the next and at poverty risks among children from a migration background and ethnic minorities.

Helping students with mental illness: Lessons from TAFE classrooms

Cydde Miller & Nhi Nguyen
This brief publication accompanies the report 'Who's supporting us? TAFE staff perspectives on supporting students with a mental illness'. Aimed at TAFE staff, it provides a summary of the key findings of the report, including lessons from participants about strategies to help students with mental illness, and useful resources.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1970.html

Who's supporting us? TAFE staff perspectives on supporting students with mental illnesses

Cydde Miller & Nhi Nguyen
Students reporting a mental illness do poorly in vocational education and training (VET) compared with other disability groups. This is a challenge for the VET sector. Teachers and support staff are at the frontline in responding to the needs of these students and this research explored staff perspectives on how TAFE institutes in Australia are supporting students with mental illnesses.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1834.htm

Employers' use and views of the VET system 2007 - Summary

National Centre for Vocational Education Research
This publication presents the results of a national survey of Australian employers conducted in 2007. The survey collects information about employers' use and views of the vocational education and training (VET) system and the various ways employers use the VET system to meet their skill needs. This includes hiring staff with vocational qualifications, employing apprentices and trainees and having staff undertake nationally recognised and unaccredited training. Further information about the 2007 Survey of Employer Use and Views of the VET System can be found in the support documents.

http://www.ncver.edu.au/statistics/surveys/seuv07/su07030.pdf

Careers Guide For Graduates With Disability

Graduate Careers Australia is the leading authority on the supply of, and demand for, new graduates in Australia. GCA's aim is to use their position to foster employment and career opportunities for graduates, in association with the higher education sector, government and business.

In recognition of the high number of students with disability graduating from university, GCA has recently launched a publication, "Careers for Graduates with Disability", sponsored by the Employers' Network. This publication is available online from the GCA website http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/content/view/full/3062 as well as in hard copy from universities.
Source: Australian Employers' Network On Disability newsletter

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