About Us


	About Us

Emerge Supported Employment Trust is a not for profit organisation which provides a range of professional supported employment and transition services for people with disabilities in Wellington.

Emerge provides the support that the job seeker and employer requires, before, during and after job placement. This is to ensure successful long term employment outcomes for people with disabilities in the regular workforce.

Emerge is committed to providing a quality service that assists people with disabilities into mainstream employment opportunities.

Emerge Mission Statement

"Emerge will facilitate the employment and training of people with disabilities in non-segregated settings through the provision of a range of high quality supported employment services designed to promote individual choice and empowerment."

Philosophy

Emerge service provision is underpinned by the following values and assumptions:

That people with disabilities have the desire for and the right to the same choices and opportunities available to those who are not disabled.
That people with disabilities have the desire for and the right to meaningful participation in non-segregated employment and education/training settings.
That New Zealand society organises itself in such a way that fails to take adequate account of people with physical, sensory, intellectual and psychiatric impairments. This results in exclusion from and/or restriction of opportunity, autonomy, activity and participation.
That meaningful participation in non-segregated employment and education/training by people with disabilities will require support, advocacy and social action in order to counter the tendency toward exclusion on the part of society at large.
That employment and training support services must ensure that access, participation, programme structure, content and related processes are designed to promote and achieve inclusion-within the service itself-and in society at large.
That there is a need to develop and disseminate, information on innovative, effective and practical approaches to employment and training support for people with disabilities that are grounded in the New Zealand experience.

What is Supported Employment?

Emerge is committed to the principles of the Association for Supported Employment in New Zealand (A.S.E.N.Z) that supported employment is

“the process of placement, training and on-going support for people with disabilities, aimed at their earning financial remuneration in integrated work settings”.

There are six key principles that define and guide supported employment:

Open Employment: the employment and inclusion of people with disability in the mainstream workforce.
Wages and Benefits: the provision of the same wages and related conditions of employment that are the expected norm in any mainstream workplace.
Placement First: direct access to the labour market through a precise job/person match and without prolonged "getting ready" activities or training.
Inclusiveness: no exclusions or screening from supported employment programmes on the basis of perceived "severity" of disability.
Individualised and Ongoing Support: support services and strategies that are not time limited, are tailored to the individuals needs, and maximise job retention.
Choices and Career Development: Services and outcomes based on the preferences and aspirations of the individual and a commitment to ongoing pursuit of careers.

Emerge Board of Trustees

Chris Lipscombe
Chairperson

Gordon Smart
Treasurer

Jo Maling

Lesley Shanahan

Janet Dixon

Kirsty Ferguson

Peter Ledingham

Helen Stevens

Emerge Staff

Linda Fisher
Operations Manager

Susan Finlay
Business Manager

Kellyanne Tong
Employment Consultant

Elizabeth Ellis
Employment Consultant

Briar Allen
Employment Consultant

Keziah Bevan
Transition Coordinator