For people living with disability, moving into open employment brings new opportunity. For Dovetail’s Anton, taking on an open employment role has brought with it independence and growth.
Anton had been a Bedford employee for nine years when, in 2023, he made the transition into open employment with Dovetail Advanced Manufacturing, where he now receives a full award wage. Working for Bedford-backed social enterprise Dovetail, Anton works to produce furniture and other timber products and componentry.
Anton said that his favourite part of the job is, “working with my mates and learning new skills”. Building new skills is an essential part of the transition to open employment. During his time at Dovetail, Anton has built upon his working knowledge, from operating beam saws, to putting together components for packaging, readying products for distribution, and performing quality checks on orders. Anton does it all.
Anton’s supervisor, Craig, described Anton as, “a good team player, a hard worker and a great asset to the Dovetail team”. Since his transition to open employment, Anton has enjoyed more variety in his job, which has increased his confidence, and enabled him to try new tasks at work.
Open employment is beneficial to everyone. For the employee it provides opportunity to earn a full award wage, grow in confidence and develop transferable skills that can prepare them for future roles. For workplaces, having a diverse workforce that includes people living with disability is known to increase productivity, creativity, and cultural awareness within an organisation.
When workers living with disability make the transition from supported to open employment, the benefits flow to the wider community and economy too. People working in open employment have reduced reliance on the disability support pension, less need for supported employment funding through the NDIS, and thanks to earning a full award wage, increase their tax contribution.
Anton said open employment has brought increased responsibility, but also new freedoms.
“You can’t muck around because time is money and you have to meet your targets,” Anton said. An increased hourly rate also brings more financial independence, and Anton has said he wants to “take another holiday and see more places”.
An avid basketballer, Anton has had the opportunity to travel to Berlin, representing Australia in the Special Olympics, where he and his team achieved third place. His bronze medal has pride of place in his bedroom. From playing basketball for Australia, to working for Dovetail, Anton is achieving great things in his personal life and at work.