The Compass Institute Inc
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- Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
 The Compass Institute | |
| Founder | David Dangerfield |
|---|---|
| Focus | Further education, training and vocational pathways for young people with disabilities |
| Location |
|
Region served | Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia |
| Services | Disability service |
Formerly called | The Aikido Institute |
The Compass Institute is a special education organisation based in Queensland, Australia.
Commencing in 1991 the organisation provided Alternative Education programmes to youth at risk in local secondary and primary schools with over 7,000 school students benefiting from an evergrowing range of specialist programmes. The Compass Education & Training Service commenced in 2003 with 3 trainees and one staff member. The service now supports over 200 trainees through 80 staff across five centres and 12 social enterprises – micro businesses that include the 20-acre Compass Farm, Connections Cafe, Harvest Kitchen, The Garden Cafe, Rakes and Panes and Earth & Wood.
In 2016 Compass commenced its Assistance Dogs Programme, purchasing and training pups to support children with autism and/or intellectual disabilities. The programme engages with corporate sponsors who support the costs of raising and training a pup for 2 years (approximately $25,000) and in return have naming rights for the pup along with significant co-branded media and promotional opportunities across the working life of the dog – up to ten years. This support allows Compass to essentially gift the dog to the child in need. The programme has now been launched nationally.
The Compass Institute Inc. provides further education in a broad range of subjects. The goal of the institute is to provide real life skills with a focus on personal development and independent living. This includes literacy, numeracy, communication, fitness, social skills, food preparation, personal grooming, transport and community participation.[1]
Compass employs staff in roles such as teachers, trainers, coaches and mentors, similarly those that attend Compass are students or 'Trainees' and not referred to as 'clients'.