Five students from Logan City Special School have kicked off their careers after participating in a weekly work experience program run by social enterprise Jigsaw Australia.
Over eight weeks the students attended training sessions and received hands-on experience within Jigsaw’s commercial operations.
They also explored career goal-setting and post-school options.
Slacks Creek local William Tagaloa participated in the program and recently graduated from high school.
Logan City Council helped Mr Tagaloa get in contact with Jigaw.
Local councillor and economic development chair Jon Raven congratulated Mr Tagaloa and his fellow Logan City Special School students on their achievements.
“Everyone deserves the opportunity to contribute to our community through work,” Cr Raven said.
“William is setting a great example for students of all abilities with his willingness to work.
“Young people are our future, and we’d love to see more opportunities for them to work locally.”
Jigsaw Australia Community Engagement Lead Annabel Lyons thanked council for providing valuable local connections.
“We are grateful for how Council has supported Jigsaw in our mission to create an Australia in which people with disability are fully included in the workforce,” Ms Lyons said.
In Logan, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, over 22,000 people require daily assistance with core activities due to a severe or profound disability.
Over 31,000 people provide unpaid help to someone with disability.
Logan’s lifestyle chair, councillor Tony Hall, said Council’s Disability Action Plan 2023-2025, endorsed earlier this year, builds on two previous plans to better support people with disability.
The plan contains more than 100 actions council will undertake over the next two years to create a city that continues to be “inclusive, accessible and welcoming for people of all abilities”.
“Local businesses can play their part by recruiting and retaining staff with disability while also making their premises more accessible to customers living with disability,” Cr Hall said.
Council has helped launch the work careers of five Logan City Special School students by connecting them with a weekly work experience program run by social enterprise Jigsaw Australia.
