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Meet Louis, he’s 31 years old and he describes himself as "a little bit different."
"When Louis came to APM, he had been trying to find work on his own for quite a period of time," his Employment Consultant Jeni recalls.
As a result Louis was struggling with his confidence when it came to finding a good job.
However, if you were one of the visitors to Care DX Labs in Fremantle you wouldn’t think Louis ever suffered from a crisis of confidence.
An essential and charismatic member of the team, he’s the friendly face that greets you as you walk in the door.
Whether you’re visiting for a meeting, making a delivery or a potential new client, Louis is there to make everyone feel welcome.
Bringing joy to his work
Louis lives with epilepsy and a learning disability and had struggled to find work he was passionate about.
When it came to applying for jobs, he experienced a series of knockbacks which lowered his confidence.
His Employment Consultant Jeni saw how she could empower Louis with the confidence of knowing he had a support network of people who had his back.
“I wanted him to know that APM would be there for any kind of support he did need along the way” she said.
Since he joined Care DX, Louis has become a bit of an all-rounder; taking on administrative and office management duties, along with constructing and packing clinical testing kits.
Jeni shares the change she’s seen in him:
“I’ve seen a lot of self-worth and growth in him since he’s been working” she said.
“He has an ability to make people laugh and bring a lot of joy to every situation.”
Louis brings plenty of charisma and laughter to his workplace, well-known for his joke-telling:
"As a great lady once said, 'a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down'; I consider myself that spoonful of sugar."
All jokes aside
His employer Hayley remarks that Louis “brings a lot of livelihood and character into our office.”
She praises his work ethic, along with his organisation, self-motivation, and meticulous work ethic.
“He’s a lot more confident” Hayley said, talking about how they’ve continued to expand Louis’ role.
She spoke about how simple working with APM has been, to support Louis through the Disability Employment Services program.
“I think it’s been a good learning experience for us. We haven’t noticed Louis’ disability. It hasn’t affected his work with us or with the team.”
APM Employment Services has supported more than 120,000 job seekers with an injury, illness, or disability into work over the last two years.
Hayley aptly describes the positive impact hiring people with disability into their workforce:
“I think it’s very rewarding. It’s important to make sure we’re contributing to society and to make sure we are giving everybody an equal chance to fill these roles, to feel part of the team and part of the community.”
When asked how he feels about his work, Louis’ response really says it all:
“I feel the future is pretty bright.”