The Integrated Practical Placement Program: a program of social inclusion in the workplace for young people with disability

An Integrated Practical Placement (IPP) program is a structured study program for students with learning disability designed to transition the students into paid employment. In April 2018, an IPP Program was established between the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and Holmesglen Institute. Ten students from
Holmesglen’s Certificate I in Work education were placed in a range of non-clinical hospital departments to develop the required work-related skills. A research study funded by the Victorian State Government Jobs Innovation Fund was conducted to evaluate the implementation of this IPP program and to compare this with the practical placement opportunities provided to other students enrolled in the same course.
From our findings it is clear that the IPP Program has had a positive impact on the lives of the young adults who participated in the program in 2018, with the majority now in paid employment and more confident to take on work. It is highly unlikely this would be the result if they had not been afforded the IPP opportunity. Further, there is evidence to suggest that this program has had a constructive impact on the RCH as an organisation, particularly for those managers and staff who rose to the challenge to accept these students. The manner in which this program has been led, established and facilitated provides an outstanding template for success, and every effort should be made to emulate this model and extend this valued work into other organisations.