Disability Employment Services Program
Castle Personnel Services, a DEEWR funded Disability Employment Service Provider, continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and excellence in the provision of services to jobseekers and employers. Castle Personnel has provided employment services to people with disabilities and/or disadvantages for the past 20 years across the Lower Hunter, Hunter and Upper Hunter regions. During this period we have formed strong working relationships with over 8200 employers resulting in over 5,400 clients being placed into award wage employment including national recognition for the successful placement of hundreds of apprentices and trainees including painting & decorating, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, grounds maintenance, carpentry, horticulture, cooking, chef, child care, Assistant In Nursing, disability support workers, retail, drivers, security guards & administration assistants.
Castle employs an experienced, professional marketing team who liaise with employers to ascertain the demands and requirements of the local labour market. We regularly survey employers & conduct employer forums allowing Castle to assist employers meet their recruitment needs. Castle’s relationship with employers allows job seekers to gain relevant skills through work experience, pre apprenticeship training courses in areas such as welding, boiler making, fitting & turning, bricklaying and plumbing. As a result of these local initiatives, we have successfully placed 44 job seekers into apprenticeships within the past 12 months.
Castle undertakes professional vocational profiling with new job seekers to fully inform them of job opportunities that are available in the local labour market. Castle’s in‑house software program provides us with updated, relevant information regarding skills shortages & labour market needs. Using this information we are able to match job seekers assessment results to the skills in demand and ascertain whether a jobseeker requires upskilling or training in order to be suitable for available job opportunities.
In addition to our considerable training experience, Castle has implemented a strategic and innovative approach to skilling and training job seekers by establishing our own Registered Training Organisation. The courses offered in our RTO program will address identified skill shortages in our region such as childcare, aged care, disability care, asset maintenance, clerical and retail. Providing work experience is a valuable part of the upskilling process in assisting job seekers to actively participate in an area of employment & to assess their physical and psychological ability to work within identified industries. We currently have a range of industry arrangements with local employers who work with us in placing our job seekers into work experience.