Article by Amber-Rose, Disability Support Worker
I began studying shortly after finishing high-school and due to the low wages and high demand for shifts in my hospitality job, meant I was only able to study part time. Support work was suggested to me as an alternative career though the care field felt daunting as I was unprepared and unqualified. I decided to try support work and with a bit of online training and a few shadow shifts I was straight into working with high intensity clients. I learned quickly and was able to shape shifts around my uni work but I still felt under trained and at times out of my depth. I am now able to access Enabler as an easy and efficient refresher training and would’ve greatly valued a tool like this when I was beginning support work.
Image: A screen capture of the Enabler app showing a support worker and Di (the client) sitting on a couch. Di is thanking her support worker.
As a young person I have worked both hospitality and retail and now work as a sole trader in disability support. This field allows me to learn and grow, engage with flexible shifts and work in an area that feels fulfilling. I would love for more young people to share their passions, their lust for life with others and consider support work as a plausible area to work in. For most, it is a decision between store clerk and waitress/bartender, I would love to see support work being up there as a considered option alongside hospitality and retail. To achieve a normalcy in young people flowing into the Care sector, I believe more accessible training and resources such as Enabler would encourage people to pursue that field more confidently.
Benefits of Support Work as a young person through study
More fulfilling/ engaging
More learning/ possibilities to upskill
Opportunities grow business/self
Flexible hours
Higher base rate
Struggles in beginning in support work
Lack of training
Lack of resources
Lack lack of knowledge
This is where Enabler comes in to help support you in this new work environment
Enabler helping to upskill
Enabler incentivizes workers to consider possible mistakes/ blunders/ conflict through engaging with relatable scenarios. Enabler encourages users to imagine possibilities and appropriate ways to handle and defuse situations whilst also allowing for users to pursue the worst pathways in order to observe the consequences without stumbling into that conflict in a real-life scenario.
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We want to thank Amber for her view on Support Work and the difference Enabler makes when training workers and providing ongoing support when needed. - Enabler