Melbourne Apprenticeship Disability Network2023-04-03T00:37:44+00:00

Melbourne Apprenticeship Disability Network

Whilst one in five Australians live with disability, only one in 29 apprentices discloses living with  disability when commencing an apprenticeship (AIHW). Research conducted in 2020 by the Eastern and Northern Melbourne NDCOs identified the need for opportunities for collaboration across the apprenticeships sector to identify gaps and barriers and drive change to improve apprenticeship opportunities for people with disability across Melbourne.

MADN aims to drive change and increase successful apprenticeship outcomes for people with disability living in Melbourne. This is being achieved through our collaborative network’s work to identify, action, and respond to common issues and challenges faced by apprentices with disability, their employers and the organisations and institutions that support them.

MADN activities include:

  • Quarterly network meetings
  • Identification of best practice and promotion of positive apprenticeship pathways for people with disability
  • Development of capacity building resources and activities for stakeholder groups
  • Increasing information sharing and collaboration in the sector
  • Advocating for government policy change to remove obstacles to success for apprentices with disability.

Current projects being undertaken include:

  • Community: The development of communities of practice to share resources, ideas and discussion. Includes social media and collaborative tools for both the MADN community and also for the stakeholders that we work with
  • Award: Includes liaising with the Apprenticeship Employment Network about our new award category and exploring opportunities for similar work in other awards programs
  • E-Learning: The development of quick and easy online learning modules to build disability confidence for employers
  • DAAWS: Advocacy to Government and policy makers regarding improvements to the Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support program
  • Blogs: A series of Blogs to sit with the AATIS website to explore everything disability and apprenticeships including career guidance, seeking support, employer confidence. Blogs will be accompanied by MADN Tool Kit resource.
  • Tool Kit: The development and promotion of a toolkit of resources to be provided to employers/future apprentices/career educators. This will include the consolidation of the many current available resources and identification of and gaps in these resources.

For more information please contact:

Paul Power
National Disability Coordination Officer
Northern Victoria (Region 15)
Located at Wodonga TAFE
Phone: 02 6055 6309
Mobile: +61 460002989
Email: ppower@wodongatafe.edu.au
Website: www.ndcovictoria.net.au