For Students

Every person is different; everyone has different work experience, different skills, different passions and dreams. This means that each Impact21 student will join the program with their own needs in their learning and their own way of setting and working towards professional goals. This is a personalised approach to planning, learning and working.

Over the course of 12 months, students and employers are given dozens of opportunities to experience getting to know each other, to learn together, and to work together. These experiences eventually lead to a customised employment match, where the desires and ambitions of the students are best matched with the needs and preferences of the employers, and we move into a phase of supporting employment for the individual and the employer teams.

We’ve seen some amazing results;

2021 started with our 12 pilot students all prepared, placed, and ready to start work with five major national employers. And they all have Down syndrome.

We know that people with a disability typically receive repetitive training that is rarely applied in practice. Impact21 was created to break the cycle of continuous short-term job placements and the inevitable disappointment and loss of confidence that comes with failed experiences, and the ensuing hesitancy employers have when it comes to hiring people with a disability.

“ I really love working at JB Hi-Fi because I have great friends, I’m a member of the team and I do important work. I love having independence, getting paid, being a team member and helping customers. I work in the DVD section which is awesome because I have a real passion for movies.”
Shea Macdonough, Impact21 Alumni