The last 12 months has been both a challenging and successful time for the Education Team. At the Scope Client and Staff Awards, we received the group staff award, recognising our hard work as a team.

A new development within the Education team is that staff have been attending school visits to Endeavour Industry supported employment sites. This visit incorporates the community service element of our school education programs. It has been a positive experience to see first hand the students successfully putting the skills they have learnt in the classroom into practise. We have also enjoyed getting to know Endeavour employees across the sites.

Along the way, we have added new members to the team. Annie Loughens has joined our ranks as a new educator, joined by Vinnie Mammoliti. Annie is a self-confessed shopaholic who is also employed as a direct support worker with Scope, at St. Albans Day & Lifestyle Options. She is a popular and well-liked presenter with her bright, bubbly personality, making audiences feel at ease in school, corporate and community environments. Vinnie, meanwhile; has jumped on board in Bendigo, and together with Michelle Lucas, he has delivered training to several schools, with the number of schools expected to grow in the coming year.

One of our existing team members Zane McKenzie was recognised for his achievements this year as a finalist at the Victorian Disability Awards. Well done Zane!

This year, we have also attracted several new customers to our Disability Awareness Training workshops. Some highlights have included:

• Partnering with Breast Cancer Network Australia on a project aimed at supporting people with disabilities who have experienced Breast Cancer

• Training Auskick coaches from AFL Victoria

• Partnering with Deakin University Geelong on an inclusive business workshop

• Training call centre and face-to-face staff at Public Transport Victoria

• Continuing our training with V/line for new conductors, authorised officers and other staff.

We’re always looking for new opportunities to provide disability education with organisations and community partners. We’ve developed a new DVD to raise awareness of our services.
If you would like a copy, please contact us.

We have also commenced work on a new E-learning module, which will enable the Education Team to reach more locations than ever before across Australia.

We are very proud of the work we have done so far this year and look forward to increasing our customer base, working more closely with the Community Inclusion team and the challenges of the year ahead.