I work within Telstra’s Service Delivery northern region, which covers Queensland and northern NSW. My job includes liaising with not-for-profit organisations to seek out suitable suppliers for network site maintenance. We call this Telstra’s Supported Workforce Program.

Employees from the House with No Steps, headquartered in Burleigh Heads, Queensland, are currently contracted by Telstra to perform cleaning and grounds maintenance at 64 Telstra exchanges from the Gold Coast to Townsville.

Due to the success of the program so far, we have grown our partnership with House With No Steps and from 1 January 2013 their program of work will nearly double, with an expansion into northern New South Wales to take on grounds maintenance for an additional 60 Telstra sites.

Telstra’s Supported Workforce Program currently employs over 200 people from 13 not-for-profit organisations nationally, including House with No Steps, Minda, Choose Employment, Orana, Disability Services Australia, Wesley Mission, Phoenix, Interwork, La Trobe Valley Enterprises, Parklane Nurseries, Radius Disability, Scope Victoria, and Wise Employment.

See a video taken during a visit to the team at Nerang Exchange in December, here Mark Keen from House With No Steps, supported employee Gary Ladner and Telstra team leader David Finch talk about the program and what it means to them.

I’m proud to be able to partner with community groups, such as House With No Steps, to provide meaningful and valued employment to people with a disability and I’m also proud to be associated with a company like Telstra, who are committed to delivering accessible services to Australians with disability to ensure all aspects of its business are accessible, including employment opportunities.

What makes you proud?

Related posts:

• Diversity creates connectivity and a strong sense of community (23 August, 2012)
• An award celebrating Telstra’s Supported Workforce Program (3 December, 2012)