Meet Malcolm
Malcolm Walalgie is embarking on an exciting new career as a ‘Meet and Greet’ at Kmart in Geraldton.
Malcolm is a friendly and energetic person who is in a wheelchair due to his cerebral palsy. He joined the Real Futures Disability Employment Service (DES) in July 2023 and started working with Christopher Collins, our DES Employment Development Specialist.
Together, they identified that a Meet and Greet role would be the perfect fit for Malcolm’s skills and personality.
After perfecting his resume, Chris and Malcolm approached the local Geraldton Kmart and Bunnings to see if they had any openings.
Kmart was keen to meet Malcolm, so he and Chris headed into the store to meet the Manager, Deni, and learn more about the application process.
Chris then supported Malcolm to complete the job application and prepare for a potential interview.
From Interview to Job Offer
After submitting his application, Malcolm was pleased to be asked back in to have a formal interview with Deni.
Deni was very impressed and progressed him to the next stage, which involved a full tour of the store and a run-through of where Malcolm would be working.
Happy with that, Malcolm came back to the store to complete stage one of Kmart’s onboarding. Chris was by his side assisting and encouraging him throughout this whole process.
Success! A week later, Malcolm received a formal offer of employment and excitedly accepted the role!
Before he could begin, he needed to complete his onboarding which he did with Chris in the Real Futures office.
Malcolm’s hit a small barrier when he discovered his phone wasn’t able to download the Authenticator app that Kmart uses for their payroll. Our DES Manager Ashley Williams quickly solved this by providing Malcolm with a new phone.
Loving His New Gig
On 15 November, Malcolm had his first day at work with Chris coming along to cheer him on.
It’s safe to say that he loved it and was disappointed that he had the next day off!
Kmart Geraldton is committed to supporting Malcolm as he embarks on his career with them. As he is their first employee that is a wheelchair user, they did not have appropriate staff facilities.
We’re pleased to share that the store in now in the process of building an accessible bathroom for Malcolm and any future employees that may need it.
Real Futures is excited to build a partnership with Kmart and connect them with quality employees going forward.
A big thank you to Chris for being Malcolm’s number 1 fan and making sure we found a fulfilling, sustainable career for him!
