Ready, Willing and Able - SelfAdvocateNet.com

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The Business Case for Inclusive Hiring and Workplaces 2023

Are you ready, willing and able to go to work? Are you currently looking for a job? Do you have an intellectual disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder?

If so, Ready Willing and Able may be able to help you.

Below you will find two ways to learn more about RWA and to be considered for employment opportunities that you might be interested in and for which you have the right background, skills and experience.

We have RWA staff in 8 communities across the country. If you want to find out more about RWA and how you might benefit, click on the Find RWA Staff button, and there you will find the contact information of a staff person nearest to you. They can explain the program in more detail, and help you connect to a local employment agency.
All employment opportunities found by RWA are shared with our employment agency partners. They then forward appropriate resumes for consideration by employers. To be considered for a possible position, you must be registered with one of these agencies. To find an employment agency in your area, and to contact them directly, just click on the Find Local Employment Agency Partners button and there you will find necessary contact information. Contact the agency of your choice, and tell them you wish to be considered for a RWA position, if and as such positions become available. You will need to meet with this agency and share your resume with them. You may also have to complete an interview to determine your particular employment preferences, strengths, interest, skills, and experience, etc.

How RWA Works

Ready, Willing and Able has staff working in 8 communities across the country creating many exciting new job opportunities. We meet with employers in a variety of different industries and explain the benefits of hiring persons with an intellectual disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Ready, Willing and Able is working to connect employers who are looking for employees to the skilled people who can fill those jobs. From part-time, seasonal work to full-time positions, RWA is finding new and exciting opportunities, one of which may be just perfect for you! If you’re interested in learning more about the program, please click the link below to connect with a RWA staff in your area:

Walmart Achieves Success Through Inclusive Hiring Practices

For many businesses in the retail and service sector across the country, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find and keep hardworking and motivated employees. According to Tanya Peach, Store Manager at the Walmart East Supercentre in Saint John, New Brunswick, more than half of the 20 seasonal employees she hired at the start of the summer left before the season got into full swing.

“We have a lot of young people apply for jobs who don’t really want to work,” says Peach, “they either don’t show up for work or are always late. We invest a lot of time in training and orientation before they even hit the floor and that all gets lost when employees leave

Thanks to Ready, Willing and Able (RWA), a national initiative designed to increase the labour force participation of people with intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Peach’s hiring process has achieved remarkable success. Through RWA, Peach hired three individuals at the same time as the others, and all of them have stayed.

Peach has been impressed and inspired by the people she hired through RWA, especially when she has to deal with a typical turnover rate of 15%. Furthermore, she has decided to keep at least one individual, Josh, as a permanent part-time employee beyond the season. As a sales associate in the Garden Centre, Josh is responsible for greeting and helping customers, keeping the Centre clean and safe and other general customer service duties.

“From a productivity point of view, Josh does an excellent job and because of his personality, dedication and reliability we wanted to keep him on our team,” says Peach. “He is very loyal and never misses a day of work.”

Peach admits there was some apprehension about the extra time it might take to train and orient the new employees and concern that they might not be as productive or functional. RWA helped her and her team with the hiring process and addressed their concerns about special allowances and productivity.

“Right from the beginning, Josh was a go-getter,” says Peach. “We have not had to make any special allowances and he is always eager and keen to do a good job. It is refreshing to have employees that we are all very proud to work with.”

Funded by the Government of Canada and active in 20 communities across the country, RWA is a national partnership of Inclusion Canada, the Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance (CASDA) and their member organizations.