Partnership solves puzzle of file storage

Reducing the amount of paper files at the LCANZ Churchwide Office has been a goal for some time, but with preparations underway for the move from North Adelaide to the new Church House in Frome Street, Adelaide, next year, that task has become more urgent for staff.

Human Resource Manager Michael Bowden’s search for a solution to the puzzle of cutting space taken up by physical files in the office led him to connect with an organisation appropriately named Jigsaw. Jigsaw Australia is a social enterprise with a simple vision: a future in which people living with disability are fully included in the workforce.

It was with this vision in mind that the Churchwide Office chose Jigsaw to assist with digitising boxes of documents for the LCANZ.

Operating in the Adelaide CBD, Jigsaw assists people living with disability to learn and practise work skills in a real workplace. Academy trainees, who may receive government funding support, and paid trainees, who earn an award wage, work together on delivering contracts for their business clients, such as the LCANZ.

Sarah, a paid trainee, is one of the team members who has worked on digitising LCANZ documents. ‘Every contract is different, and we try to match what every client wants and needs’, said Sarah, whose day’s work may include checking inventory, copying file names to a spreadsheet, setting the scanner to client-specific settings, removing staples, fixing creases, scanning and, finally, double- and triple-checking for quality control.

Once part of Jigsaw’s academy program, trainees work to develop 20 capabilities, including reliability, prioritisation, focus, organisation, professional presentation, professional communication, following procedures and policies, problem-solving, teamwork, accuracy and accountability.

After this stage, they may graduate to a role as a paid trainee, with the later possibility of going on to open employment.

Sarah, Stef, Joseph, Jason, Caelan, Helena and Josh – a mix of academy trainees and paid trainees – all have worked collaboratively to digitise 28 boxes of documents for the LCANZ.

Stef, who has been with Jigsaw for more than a year, enjoys ‘being challenged and extended’ by her work, while Helena loves the supportive atmosphere within the organisation, and Josh is hoping to have an opportunity for open employment down the track.