Encompass started 31 years ago as Geelong Employability.
It’s role then was to provide employment for physically and/or intellectually disabled persons.
A strategic review of its activities recognised that there was a serious gap in the availability of training-for-employment for the post-High School person to complement the excellent services in Geelong provided for the school-age child with a disability.
It operates without Government funding but with great support from the Give where you Live Appeals and all the other organisations dealing with disabled people in Geelong.
To facilitate the training and employment of their clients the organisation runs many businesses including:
- Two Opportunity Shops — providing retail training and experience and free goods to the needy
- A second hand furniture store — experience and training for the staff in retail skills and restoration skills
- Recycling business — dissembling bulk white goods for resale
- Catering service — an important client base is the clients of the NDIS.
- Farming operation — growing and selling fruit and vegetables
- A training service for skills — some students can attract a government subsidy but many are receiving training in simple life skills that we take for granted among the able population.
- An employment service
The skills-training has been expanded to Bannockburn Werribee and Melton.