Impact Program
Choose Impact if you’re ready to dive into hands-on work experience and classroom job skills training – your pathway to landing a role with our employer partners.
Impact is a unique one-year group job training program for people with intellectual disability.
Co-designed with Deakin Co and Jobs Victoria, Yooralla's Impact program combines classroom job skills training with hands-on work experience to prepare you for employment with one of our employer partners.
Together, we will work to develop your independence, build your job skills and explore your career options.
Throughout the program, you will receive ongoing mentorship and on-site support from Yooralla’s job coaches, ensuring you are well-prepared for the transition into employment.
Benefits of Yooralla’s Impact program
As an Impact participant, you will benefit from:
- Discovery process: Explore your skills, strengths, interests, goals and support needs.
- Job skills training: Develop your critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, communication and digital literacy in a small classroom setting.
- Tailored job coaching: Find the best job match for your skills and goals with support from our experienced job coaches.
- Employer orientations: Explore various career paths and gain hands-on experience in diverse fields.
- Real-world work experience: Spend time gaining practical experience with our employer partners.
- Paid employment: Transition to paid, open employment with one of our employer partners.
Who is the Impact Program for?
Originally designed for young people with Down syndrome, the Impact program (formerly Impact21 designed by Inclusion Foundation) has been expanded by Yooralla to support other job seekers with intellectual disability.
“The program is really fun as you are learning with your friends.” - Impact Program participant.
What areas can I work in?
We’ll work with you to understand your employment goals and provide you with hands-on work experience across various fields, including hospitality, customer service and administration. This will support you to build valuable job skills with real life experience and gain a deeper understanding of the roles and fields that interest you the most, setting a strong foundation for your future career.
Here’s a glimpse of what you might be doing
Impact participants are making great strides in their journey towards open employment and we're thrilled to share their recent adventures at Ben & Jerry's and Carlton Football Club.
Impact program details
Yooralla’s Impact program runs yearly from late-January to December. Classroom learning takes place across metropolitan Melbourne locations, offering a professional environment to develop new skills and meet new people.
Participants will also gain real-world on-the-job work experience with our partner employers. Partners have previously included Ben & Jerry’s, Carlton Football Club, M80 Alliance and Spiire.
Throughout the program, you will be provided with on-site support from both Yooralla and employer staff as needed.
Program outline:
The Impact program classroom learning explores and builds skills like communication, problem solving and teamwork.
When completing work experience with our employer partners, these skills can be observed and supported by Yooralla’s job coaches and employer staff.
Yooralla also provides coaching and support for employer partners, ensuring they are providing a truly inclusive environment.
Funding eligibility
- Capacity Building – Finding and keeping a job in your NDIS plan.
- Self-funded.
Foundation program
Not quite ready for the Impact program? Our Foundation program focuses on building self-awareness, vocational choices and independence – providing foundational skills for people who want to transition into the Impact Program or pursue other life goals.
Get in contact with us
To find out information about the Impact program, please get in touch with us. Our team of experienced staff are here to help answer your questions and work with you every step of the way.