Firms urged to expand the disabled workforce

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX

An Auckland organisation that finds work for the disabled has already placed staff with 100 companies, but needs more firms to hire 400 people still looking for work.

Workforce Personnel has found jobs for the disabled since 1991. Its clients include people with physical and intellectual disabilities as well as those who are deaf or blind.

Several companies, including NZ Post, Adventure Cycles and Hunza Productions, have taken on staff - some as many as nine.

David Mannion, of Workforce Personnel, says his organisation works in with employers to provide support people for a new employee and to set up specialised training on the job.

The disabled clients are mostly looking for entry-level work, some having never worked before and some coming straight from secondary school.

Mr Mannion says advantages for a company include being able to save money by freeing their own specialist staff from work that the disabled workers can take over.

One company that has a firm commitment to employing disabled workers is Bluebird, which initiated Project Blue to create positions specifically for the new employees.

Over the past few years, Bluebird has hired five people through Workforce, including groundsman David Scholes.

Bluebird human resources manager Carrick Courtney says Project Blue has been successful - something that comes from having the right mix of people.

It began in 1995 after a mother approached the company to find work for her disabled son.

"So it began from there. And it's certainly not a charity. Our Project Blue team have to make a worthy contribution to the business, and they are doing that very well."

Mr Mannion says Project Blue is an exceptional example of what large companies can do to help expand the disabled workforce, and in turn stimulate the economy "even in a small way."

"We just need more companies like Bluebird to get similar projects started."

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