A Catalyst for Change
Many programs supporting people with disability into work start with the person: working through adjustments, identifying skills and interests, and fitting the position to a jobseeker. Some start with the job: looking at vacancies and how adjustments can be made or the position can be structured differently, to provide the most opportunity for the widest variety of jobseekers. Some start with the employer: examining policies and processes, building in accessibility into the culture and capability of the organisation, and supporting them to be ready for inclusive recruitment.
These interventions are often local, based on deep relationships between an employment service, employers and a jobseeker. They change lives.
The Achieve Foundation identified the potential to work at scale: to identify where many jobs are, and to support the recruitment of people with disabilities in large numbers.
By taking a sector-based approach, the Disability Employment Catalyst builds a pipeline from end to end. In working with a specific sector where workforce needs are high, it can attract large numbers of jobseekers with disability. These numbers make it appealing for both employers and training providers to make the appropriate adjustments and support jobseekers. The number of positions identified for people with disability give jobseekers confidence to commence their training and employment journey.
What makes the Catalyst different is the focus on the sector, and on specific roles in the sector. Looking at jobs where there are lots of vacancies, and building the practice and capability to make that job and that sector more accessible. The Catalyst also seeks to connect career development, attraction, training and employer together - recognising the importance of being a pipeline that people with disability can trust.
We’ve started with the disability care and support sector, and we’re learning a lot about how to build sector-based employment, and create a trusted pipeline.
Change Starts Here
To support Rocket Careers, and attract people with disability into the disability and care sector, we’ve created Rocket Careers. It provides:
guidance on inclusive employment practices, for those employers who want to build their capability
connections to training and employment supports for job seekers with disability
referrals between jobseekers and employers, matching jobseeker interests to roles in inclusive employers in the care and support sector.
Catalyst Partners and Governance
The Catalyst project commenced in 2023, funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation. We started with three foundation partners: Achieve Australia, Life Without Barriers, and Berry Street Yooralla.
We have since expanded to additional partners: Aruma, Northcott, Endeavour, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and Scope.
All of our partners are long standing providers of support for people with disability.
As the project has grown, our governance arrangements have changed. The project has signed agreements with 4 of the 5 new partners. They are listed here to promote accountability and demonstrate how we are working together to improve employment outcomes in the disability care and support sector.
[agreements go here or do they need a new section? Is there a separate section for partner logos noting we don’t have all of them?]
Catalyst Resources
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Disability Leadership.
The design of Rocket Careers has been led by a Steering Committee, chaired by a person with disability, and with significant representation from across the disability community. The project team delivering the Catalyst and Rocket Careers are also people with disability.