Employable Me - Series 1 (ATOM Study Guide)

Employable Me follows people with neuro-diverse conditions such as autism, OCD and Tourette Syndrome as they search for meaningful employment. This uplifting, warm and insightful series draws on experts to uncover people's hidden skills and to match jobseekers to roles that can harness their strengths.

We all deserve a role in society. That's what this show is about: striving to belong and to play your part. The series looks beyond first impressions to reveal there's always more than meets the eye.

The series follows nine participants as their job searches unfold. From the fun loving Marty, who just wants people to treat him the same as other people regardless of his Fragile X Syndrome, to the socially withdrawn Tim, who suffers extreme anxiety every time he leaves his home. As a result, he's never had a job. We meet Kayla, a 21-year old woman burdened with a complex and rare form of Tourette Syndrome where she suffers uncontrollable movement tics and profane swearing outbursts. Despite these challenges, she is determined to find an employer who will give her a chance.

Participants are warm, funny and generously open. Each story is told from their own perspective. Neuro-psych testing by experts substantiates their skill sets, revealing an astounding cognitive brilliance in some. The job searching results in some truly surprising results.

Curriculum Links

Employable Me can be linked to the following subject areas within the Australian National Curriculum:

• Health and Physical Education
• English
• The General Capabilities of 'Ethical Understanding' and 'Personal and Social Capability'

Employable Me is also recommended as a supplementary text for students studying the following Senior School subjects:

• Health and Human Development
• Ethics
• Psychology

Specific Links to Level 9 and 10 Health and Physical Education:

• Evaluate factors that shape identities and critically analyse how individuals impact the identities of others (ACPPS089)
• Plan, implement and critique strategies to enhance health, safety and wellbeing of their communities (ACPPS096)
• Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health and wellbeing of diverse communities (ACPPS098)

Specific Links to Level 10 English:

• Compare and evaluate a range of representations of individuals and groups in different historical, social and cultural contexts (ACELT1639)
• Create sustained texts, including texts that combine specific digital or media content, for imaginative, informative, or persuasive purposes that reflect upon challenging and complex issues (ACELY1756)

ATOM has also produced a study guide for series 2 of Employable Me which is available here.