Choose Your Pathway (SLES)

Choose Your Pathway, gain experience, and prepare for mainstream or supported employment.

Your Pathway From School to Work

Your next step starts here. Our Youth and School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) program supports young people aged 16–25 to prepare for work, further study, or employment – whether in mainstream or supported settings.


Through our Choose Your Pathway approach, you’ll gain hands-on experience across a range of real workplaces at a mainstream host employer or one of our social enterprises including our:

  1. CoPack factory,
  2. Op Shopping Village,
  3. Fare Cravin’s Café,
  4. Green Pathways Nursery,
  5. OR our Residential care service.
 

Through real work experience across our social enterprises, you can build practical skills, confidence and workplace readiness in genuine environments.


Our goal is to support you into mainstream employment wherever possible, while also offering supported employment pathways where that best suits your needs.

Step 1

Talk to our team about your goals, interests and any questions you have about leaving school. We’ll explain how SLES works under the NDIS and check your eligibility.

Step 2

Together, we create a personalised plan that may include skills training, work readiness, life skills and trying different roles. We’ll look at what you enjoy, what you’re good at and what you’d like to learn.

Step 3

You’ll take part in training, group sessions and real workplace experiences across Fairhaven and our partner organisations. As your confidence grows, we’ll support you to move into open employment, further study or supported employment.

Step 1​

Talk to our team about your goals. We’ll walk you through how SLES works under the NDIS and check your eligibility.

Step 2

Together we create a personalised plan covering skills, work readiness, life skills and role exploration – based on what you enjoy, do well and want to learn.

 
 

Step 3

You’ll take part in training, group sessions and real workplace experiences. As your confidence grows, we’ll support you into open employment, further study or supported work.

 
 

Choose Your Pathway

Work Experience at Fairhaven CoPack

Located in Tuggerah, Fairhaven CoPack is a purpose-built contract packing, filling and distribution facility on the NSW Central Coast offering commercial solutions to Australian businesses.

We employ more than 100 people with disability.

When you work at CoPack, you may help with:

Food production, blending and mixing processes

Rework, assembly and product handling

Pick and pack order fulfilment

Collating product kits and assemblies

Collating product kits and assemblies

Warehouse operations and stock handling

Learn GMP, safety and production skills in a supportive workplace where your contribution matters.

Location: 4 Reliance Drive, Tuggerah NSW 2259

Work Experience at the Fairhaven Op Shopping Village

At Point Clare, our vibrant Op Shopping Village is a one-of-a-kind retail destination with fashion, antiques, books, toys, plants, and homewares — all supporting our mission of inclusion and sustainability.

When you work here, you will do:

Customer service and communication

Retail merchandising and product presentation

Cash handling and point-of-sale (POS) systems

Stock sorting, pricing and rotation

Teamwork and workplace communication

Time management and daily work routines

Develop retail skills, confidence and teamwork in a vibrant, community-focused op shop environment.

Location: 209 Brisbane Water Drive, Point Clare NSW 2250

Work Experience at Green Pathways Nursery

Learn real skills at Point Clare at our Green Pathways Nursery.

Your journey starts with a free 8-week training program in a supportive, hands-on environment.

After graduating, you can move into our SLES program to gain further practical hands-on experience and prepare for employment in a mainstream nursery or supported employment.

You’ll develop skills in plant care, gardening and customer interaction, helping you build confidence, independence and explore future career opportunities.

When you work here, you will do:

Plant propagation

Potting and planting

Nursery stock handling

basic landscaping skills

Customer service and communication

Time management and daily work routine

Develop retail skills, confidence and teamwork in a vibrant, community-focused op shop environment.

Location: 209 Brisbane Water Drive, Point Clare NSW 2250

Work Experience at
Fare Cravin Cafe

Work in our welcoming fare cravin café environment, building skills in customer service, food preparation and teamwork – while gaining confidence, independence and real hospitality experience.

When you work here, you might:

Food preparation and kitchen safety

Customer service and communication

Coffee making and basic barista skills

Coffee making and basic barista skills

Time management and workplace routine

Teamwork and working in face-paced environment

Gain hands-on café experience in service, safety and teamwork within a supportive, friendly environment.

Location: 209 Brisbane Water Drive, Point Clare NSW 2250

Want to know more?

We’d love to help you explore the right supports and services for you.

Fill out the form or call our friendly team on 02 4349 5500 to start the conversation.

Send us a message…