Krystal has always wanted to work in a healthcare profession. She began to study psychology, and was supporting herself working at McDonalds. However, her plans were put on hold in 2020 after a medical setback that resulted in an acquired brain injury.
Now, Krystal is refocusing on her employment goals at Jigsaw Canberra. Situated on Northbourne Avenue, Jigsaw is a social enterprise founded on the idea that the best way to prepare people for work is through real-world experience of work.
“People with disability first gain skills through comprehensive training, then are employed at award wage in our commercial business,” explains Paul Brown, Jigsaw CEO. “After that, we support them to transition to open employment in the right role with the right employer.”
An innovative alternative to Disability Employment Services (DES) or Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE), the Jigsaw model is outperforming other models of disability employment.
“Since we started in 2014, 91 per cent of people employed or transitioned into employment by Jigsaw retain their employment to this day,” Mr Brown says, of having supported over 1000 people across Jigsaw hubs in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide, and now Canberra.
Jigsaw is giving people with disability, like Krystal, a chance at a financially stable and socially inclusive future, and is welcoming new people with disability now.
