Social Enterprise in Action

Social Enterprise in Action: Helping Ben Prove that Autism is no Barrier to Work

Through our Social Enterprise, TRY Work, we partner with young people and industry to break down barriers that exclude young people from the workforce. Empowering young people to seize opportunities to learn, earn and thrive in their communities.

For Ben, autism had proven to be a barrier for a number of things in life, but he was determined for work to not be one of them.

After leaving high school at 18, Ben was referred to TRY and with our help took the first steps to a career by completing a Certificate I in Building Construction.

But Ben wasn’t ready to stop there.

He knew that he needed to keep going to break into the industry, so he went on to complete his Certificate II and built up his experience doing labouring work with TRY Work.

We’re proud to say that Ben’s hard work and positive attitude have paid off.

With his qualifications and work experience, Ben has been able to successfully transition into the workforce, and today he’s working 15-30 hours a week, earning his own money from a career that he’s built (pardon the pun) – he’s even purchased a new car! Ben loves his work and we continually get fantastic feedback about him from clients and colleagues alike.

And it’s not just Ben’s career that we were able to help him with.

TRY Work also helped Ben and his family navigate the NDIS to get the financial support that will help Ben work full-time one day, and gain greater independence and quality of life.

Ben’s life could have been very different without the support of TRY Work. As is the case for many with autism, Ben could have ended up with limited or no job opportunities. Instead, he’s a participating member of the community, a happy one at that, living a quality of life he may not have otherwise had.

In the past few years I have been able to watch my son grow into a more independent individual. TRY Australia has given my son a purpose, and the ability to set goals for himself – which he had never been able to do before. He had always feared what the future held for him, as he had no drive or ambition to direct him. Now, he sees for himself a future career with TRY Work. We cannot thank the team enough for what they’ve done for Ben.

Ben's Mum

Since 2005 we’ve created over 16,000 hours of training and paid employment each year, supporting more than 35 young people, like Ben, to break the cycle of unemployment and take control of their futures.