Melbourne charity VMCH is launching a new jobs skill program in April with up to 10 people with disability taking on garden maintenance at its sites across the city. Here they will learn practical horticulture skills, build confidence and gain vital experience as well as be introduced to VMCH employment partners for further work experience and job opportunities.
VMCH Disability Services general manager Daniel Carter said the Green Team is part of a job and life skills focus at VMCH.
“The program gives adults and school leavers the skills, experience and confidence they need to move on to paid employment. The three areas we focus on are hospitality, horticulture and retail.
The Green Team will also run programs at Collingwood Children’s Farm, where participants can join gardening, farm tasks and woodwork activities, with proceeds from much of the work going to support the farm and fund inclusive community programs.
Collingwood Children’s Farm community engagement manager Steve Costello said his team is excited to become a VMCH employment partner. “The farm community is a brilliantly diverse one and volunteering on a long-term basis provides a sense of community and connectedness,” he said.
The Green Team follows the recent launch of Where Is My Coffee?, a social enterprise café in Wangaratta, where eight young people are completing work experience.
According to one trainee, Bianca: “The skills I am learning here will help me to talk to people outside my comfort zone, and help me in the future, when I am studying and have a fulltime job.”
Recent government figures show working-age people with disability are twice as likely as those without disability to be unemployed, with insufficient work experience one of the most common reasons people with disability have difficulty finding work.
VMCH is looking for people with disability who have NDIS funds to join the Green Team. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, PH: 1300 698 624.