Our team
Orygen’s Youth IPS Centre of Excellence team has experience spanning employment services, career development, education and training, project management, and youth mental health.
Representatives from our team attend annual IPS International Learning Community events, facilitated by the IPS Employment Center in the US who developed the IPS model, and are corporate members of the Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA).
Gina Chinnery
Associate Director of Employment and Education Partnerships
Gina has worked in the field of youth mental health and across the employment services and career development sector for more than 20 years. She has been a key contributor to the development and evaluation of innovative vocational interventions for young people including Individual Placement and Support (IPS), youth vocational peer work, and the online career support platform, YOTES.
Gina is certified in the IPS model and has managed several youth IPS programs in primary care and specialised mental health settings, including a Jobs Victoria IPS program enhanced by vocational peer work. Gina regularly contributes to vocational research and conferences and in 2018, Gina was awarded an International Specialised Skills Fellowship to investigate vocational peer work and online career interventions in Canada and the USA. In 2015, she was awarded the Career Development Association of Australia Career Practitioner of the Year, and the Long-Term Unemployment Conference, Employment Officer of the Year.
Katrina Casaclang
IPS Centre of Excellence Program Manager (Fidelity reviews and Professional support)
Katrina is an IPS fidelity reviewer and professional support facilitator in Orygen’s Youth IPS Centre of Excellence. Katrina has completed IPS fidelity reviewer training with the IPS Employment Centre in the USA and has managed several youth Education and Employment programs over the last 13 years. She has extensive experience in stakeholder and community engagement , as well as facilitation and supervision experience throughout her 35 years of working in community focussed roles.
Katrina manages our team of experienced professional support facilitators. She works with partner organisations delivering Professional Support to their IPS vocational staff as well as conducting Fidelity reviews.
Vince Rio
IPS Workforce Development Training Manager
Vince has over 30 years’ experience working in vocational education and training (VET) and responsible for the high-quality development and implementation of the IPS micro-credentials designed to provide education and training for the IPS Vocational Specialists. Vince manages the learning development and design teams that develop the training materials for Orygen’s learning management system (LMS).
Explore Our team
RACV have partnered with Orygen to help support young people with mental ill-health in regional Victoria to achieve their education and employment goals.
With RACV’s generous support, Orygen have expanded their capacity to innovate and support quality individual placement and support (IPS) programs for more young people by establishing a Youth IPS Centre of Excellence.
March 8, 2023
Orygen expanded its capacity to innovate and support quality Individual Placement and Support (IPS) programs for more young people by establishing a Youth IPS Centre of Excellence in 2020.
This recognises the expertise and leadership of our organisation in developing and advocating for IPS programs in Australia. Orygen’s youth focused IPS Centre of Excellence drives innovation
March 8, 2023
