Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities

People with disabilities have low participation rates in employment and vocational education and training. Thirty adults with disabilities were sampled from an Australian longitudinal study of economic and social outcomes achieved by graduate apprentices and trainees. Participants were surveyed a...

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Main Authors: Cocks, Errol, Thoresen, Stian, Lee, Elinda
Format: Journal Article
Published: Routledge 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47600
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author Cocks, Errol
Thoresen, Stian
Lee, Elinda
author_facet Cocks, Errol
Thoresen, Stian
Lee, Elinda
author_sort Cocks, Errol
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description People with disabilities have low participation rates in employment and vocational education and training. Thirty adults with disabilities were sampled from an Australian longitudinal study of economic and social outcomes achieved by graduate apprentices and trainees. Participants were surveyed and interviewed to identify pathways from high school to 12-months post-graduation and completed the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL.Q). Career pathways incorporated experiences facilitating career development including continuous engagement in vocational activities and support from school personnel and external disability agencies. A year following graduation, 87% were in paid work, 53% remained with the training employer, and 40% continued with vocational education. Positive quality of life (QoL) outcomes were associated with employment, employee benefits and satisfaction with work and social connections. Our research demonstrated that apprenticeships and traineeships led to positive graduate employment outcomes and career pathways for adults with disabilities. Positive employment outcomes were associated with enhanced QoL for participants.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-476002019-02-19T05:35:23Z Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities Cocks, Errol Thoresen, Stian Lee, Elinda people with disabilities employment benefits case studies apprentices and trainees pathways from school to work facilitating career development Australia quality of life People with disabilities have low participation rates in employment and vocational education and training. Thirty adults with disabilities were sampled from an Australian longitudinal study of economic and social outcomes achieved by graduate apprentices and trainees. Participants were surveyed and interviewed to identify pathways from high school to 12-months post-graduation and completed the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL.Q). Career pathways incorporated experiences facilitating career development including continuous engagement in vocational activities and support from school personnel and external disability agencies. A year following graduation, 87% were in paid work, 53% remained with the training employer, and 40% continued with vocational education. Positive quality of life (QoL) outcomes were associated with employment, employee benefits and satisfaction with work and social connections. Our research demonstrated that apprenticeships and traineeships led to positive graduate employment outcomes and career pathways for adults with disabilities. Positive employment outcomes were associated with enhanced QoL for participants. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47600 10.1080/1034912X.2015.1025714 Routledge fulltext
spellingShingle people with disabilities
employment benefits
case studies
apprentices and trainees
pathways from school to work
facilitating career development
Australia
quality of life
Cocks, Errol
Thoresen, Stian
Lee, Elinda
Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities
title Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities
title_full Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities
title_fullStr Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities
title_full_unstemmed Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities
title_short Pathways to Employment and Quality of Life for Apprenticeship and Traineeship Graduates with Disabilities
title_sort pathways to employment and quality of life for apprenticeship and traineeship graduates with disabilities
topic people with disabilities
employment benefits
case studies
apprentices and trainees
pathways from school to work
facilitating career development
Australia
quality of life
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/47600