Do you love working with your hands?

 You could be an Artisan!

‘Artisan’ – sounds fancy, doesn’t it? But what does it mean, who are these ‘Artisans’, and what do they do?

Well, there’s a new way of thinking about what jobs we’re suited to, and its focus is on skills rather than job titles. This approach is called ‘Job Clusters’ and one of the clusters is called ‘The Artisans’.

What’s a job cluster?

Research from the Foundation for Young Australians has shown that when you train in one job, you actually gain skills that can be used in an average of 13 other jobs. This is great news as it means you’re probably skilled for more jobs that you realise, or at least you will be. Clusters are several jobs grouped together by skill set. There are seven job clusters in total –

• Artisans (which we’ll talk about here)
• Generators
• Carers
• Coordinators
• Designers
• Informer
• and Technologists

So, how does knowing my job cluster help me?

Firstly, knowing which job cluster your interests and skills fit with will help you decide what job suits you best. Plus, because the job clusters group together jobs by skill set, if you want to transfer to a different job you can see which ones might work best.

For example, if you worked as a kitchen porter you’d be an Artisan, and you could look at other Artisan roles, like a technician or tradesman.

What skills does an Artisan have?

Artisans are skilled at working with their hands. They’re often good at building or fixing things.

What jobs are in the Artisan cluster?

Industries that employ lots of Artisans include construction, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, utilities and logistics.

If you’re an Artisan, and starting out in the workforce, you might like to think about jobs in restaurant kitchens, crop farms, courier companies or factories. Artisans can also make good electricians and mechanics.

How can jobs in the Artisan cluster accommodate disability?

In all jobs employers are required to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate any needs you may have resulting from disability. People with certain disabilities often enjoy the flexibility some Artisan roles can offer. If you’re interested in an Artisan role, CoAct can certainly help make it happen for you.

I think I’d make a good Artisan, where do I start?

Your first stop should be our fun, quick ‘Find a job as unique as you’ quiz which will help figure out which job cluster is the best fit for you.

You may find you’re not an Artisan after all, perhaps you’re a Generator or a Carer.

Whatever job cluster you fit in, CoAct will be able to help you with next steps to finding you the right job sooner.