WITH a severe worker shortage in the Australian disability sector, Vivability has turned to Ireland for a solution.
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The disability services agency has employed multiple people from Ireland and brought them out to Bathurst to fill a range of vacancies.
Chief executive officer Nick Packham said it stemmed from his recent visit to the country as part of a business delegation sent by the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce.
For him, the trip was very much about recruiting qualified workers who were willing to make the move to Australia to support people with disabilities.
Vivability worked with the chamber of commerce and Irish recruitment agencies to find suitable people.
Mr Packham said the organisation had been trying to recruit for years with little success, given Australia is 88,000 people short of the number needed to work in the disability sector.
Drawing workers from Ireland is ensuring that people with disabilities in Bathurst are getting the support they need.
"We think that it's a really good strategy in terms of bolstering our organisation with people that have tertiary qualifications, as well as experience working with people with disabilities," Mr Packham said.
"And we're currently working on a labour agreement through the Department of Home Affairs to support people to stay working at Vivability, and that will give us the ability to sign off on regional work for people on visas."
![Vivability staff from Ireland Helena Astley, Tom Fox, Chloe Cullen and Shona McGrory
with the organisation's chief executive officer Nick Packham (back right). Picture by James Arrow Vivability staff from Ireland Helena Astley, Tom Fox, Chloe Cullen and Shona McGrory
with the organisation's chief executive officer Nick Packham (back right). Picture by James Arrow](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/gfyFBZ2A3aREPWrpf4KzA3/102acde6-6528-418e-b4ae-f418f48f5a01.jpg/r0_0_4967_3311_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Vivability's newest recruits are Helena Astley, Chloe Cullen and Shona McGrory, who all arrived in Bathurst within the last six weeks.
They come from different educational backgrounds, but were all eager to work with people with disabilities and make a difference.
"I was working within Ireland within the government system and I wanted to work to actually make a difference, and I was applying for jobs within Australia and Nick reached out to me with a job position that I'd applied for," Ms Cullen said.
"We chatted a bit on the phone and exchanged a few emails, and he said, since I wanted to make a difference, there was job opening up and, 'If you want to apply for it, it sounds right up your alley', and he was very nice and worked out all the stuff I needed to do."
The organisation's accommodation manager, Tom Fox, is also from Ireland originally, but came to Australia around 15 years ago.
He has been working at Vivability since 2019.
"I graduated from university with a Bachelor in Clinical Practice (Paramedic), and I started working here as a support worker," Mr Fox said.
"I was going to work here for a while while I was waiting to get recruited from the paramedics, but then, obviously, as time moved on I really, really enjoyed working here and the opportunities here were really good, so I ended up pulling my application out of the paramedics and committed to here."
The city has clearly grown very fond of him, with him taking out the Carillon Business Award for Bathurst's Favourite Employee in 2021.
Mr Packham said he is hoping that everyone will stay on, as there are plenty of opportunities in the disability sector.
"We value the skills that these guys bring to the organisation and I'm hoping they stay a long time," he said.
"We're registered with the Department of Home Affairs for sponsorship as well, so long term options are available for people, and we're working closely with an immigration agent around options for people."
And this is by no means where Vivability stops in recruiting from Ireland, with Mr Packham and Mr Fox continuing to interview more people for jobs as recently as in late October, 2023.
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