Yvette, known more commonly as EV, is a trainee in our Sydney hub who began her Jigsaw journey shortly after finishing school.
She attends Jigsaw three days a week, learning new skills in our Academy program that will assist her in finding, and excelling in, mainstream employment.
“I’ve pretty much done everything [at Jigsaw], but mainly scanning, file management, inventory, quality control, and I’m starting to learn how to scan large plans,” said EV.
Before starting at Jigsaw, EV took part in volunteer work at her high school, helping to pack down classrooms after use. But apart from that, Jigsaw has been her first taste of work experience, and she’s thoroughly enjoying it.
She’s grateful for the learning opportunities, the connections she’s fostered, and the positive working environment she enjoys in the hub.
“I like working with the people here. Being around the trainees and trainers is a whole lot of fun. And learning new skills – learning new things I’ve probably never learnt before,” said EV.
Since EV started at Jigsaw, she’s been pleasantly surprised with what she’s learned about herself. She’s impressed her trainers, and herself, with the speed at which she’s learned and mastered some of the skills taught in Jigsaw Academy.
“I’m surprised at how quickly I’ve developed new skills like scanning and QC (quality control), to be honest, so I guess that’s what I’ve learned about myself – not knowing I can do things like that so quickly,” said EV.
EV’s manager, Germano, has also been impressed with her readiness to learn fast, noting that her progress has been ‘remarkable’.
“EV recently joined Jigsaw and has already made remarkable progress. She has gone through the entire digitisation process and has now reached the final step: quality control.
“Her skills in quality control are very impressive, and she is always eager to learn more,” said Germano.
EV’s ability to pick things up quickly will undoubtedly help her achieve her goals – to become a paid trainee at Jigsaw and then secure a mainstream job. And she recognises that Jigsaw is playing an important role in her preparation for mainstream work.
“Jigsaw is helping me by equipping me with new transferable skills, like professional communication, problem-solving and prioritisation. And they’re helping me find what I’m interested in. I feel like in the last two years here, I’ve worked well and achieved things that I wouldn’t have achieved if I hadn’t been here. It’s been a good journey at Jigsaw,” said EV.
While EV focuses on honing her skills to help her thrive in mainstream work, she does have a message for Australian employers on how they can enhance their workforce by becoming more inclusive of people with disability.
“Try to be patient; that’s one of the main things I say to people out there. Think outside the box on how to help people strengthen their ability. Find something that they’re good at and help them towards their goal. Just be able to work well with other people and be patient and considerate,” said EV.
About Jigsaw
Jigsaw is a social enterprise that provides an innovative pathway to open employment for people with disability. By embedding a comprehensive skill-based training program within our commercial document and data management business, Jigsaw enables people with disability to achieve their employment goals at their own pace. Jigsaw’s holistic approach starts from the very basics of core work skills and supports trainees all the way through to transition to open employment with ongoing support and coaching once they have transitioned.
Jigsaw is located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Canberra.