Activ Employment Services Bentley’s new microenterprise is paving the way for skill development and more opportunities for independence for our supported employees.

The Test and Tag team have been working together for several months now, providing this electrical service to Activ’s accommodation, employment and administration sites.

Supervisors Frank Starvaggi and Travis Swarts work with a team of three supported employees, where they attend multiple sites to test all electrical appliances and outlets for any leakages of power, and tag them as safe to use.

This can include household appliances like microwaves and dishwashers, and heavy machinery used at our employment services sites.

Supported employee and Test and Tag team member Josh is really enjoying this new opportunity, so much so that he has set a goal to increase his hours in the Test and Tag team.

“I’ve been working at Activ Bentley for a couple of years and wanted to try something new, and Frank encouraged me to join the team,” said Josh.

“My other supervisor Travis taught me how to use the machine to test electrical appliances, and I’m learning on the job too.”

“I’m hoping to do this three days a week, and then work full time doing testing and tagging. I like learning about different appliances, learning new skills. I’m loving it.”

Although the microenterprise has only been in operation for several months, Frank has seen a noticeable difference in the confidence of the supported employees he works with.

“The more skills they pick up the more confident they become. I’ve noticed they’re thinking about their goals and the things that they could do,” said Frank.

“It’s opened up their minds to what’s possible, and just gives them more variety in their work.”

The next step for the team is to secure commercial contracts conducting testing and tagging for other businesses, which will open doors for even more variety of work and new opportunities.

“We’re looking to get commercial contracts outside of Activ, so when we have those then we’ll be able to visit a few more places and give the team more opportunities to work,” said Frank.

“We’d love to get more customers!” said Josh.

If you’re interested in utilising Activ’s test and tag service at your business, contact sales@activ.asn.au.

If you’re someone with disability who’d like to learn new skills and become more independent at work, supported employment might be right for you! Contact our friendly team at hello@activ.asn.au to see how we can support you.