High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates

The NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) engaged Social Ventures Australia (SVA) and the Australian Network on Disability (AND) to build the capacity of employers to employ people with disability through the High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates (HGJTC) project.

As part of this project, an online Access and Inclusion Index was developed and a demand-led job brokerage approach implemented in high job growth industries.

The two complementary and interlinked strategies have helped to build connections between talented candidates with disability and selected NSW businesses in high growth industries.

Venture mission

High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates is a demand-led approach designed to meet the needs of employers by building their disability confidence through expert training provided by AND, while at the same time helping to better prepare candidates with disability for the jobs of the future. The project focuses equally on the needs of employers and candidates, ensuring an effective job match.

The Access and Inclusion Index includes tools and resources to assist employers in building their capabilities to make their businesses accessible and inclusive to customers and employees with disability. These tools and resources are available to all NSW businesses.

For more information on the importance of workforce inclusion for people with a disability watch the Australian Network on Disability video Access and Inclusion is Good for Business:

Goal of SVA partnership

High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates graduated from the SVA venture portfolio in 2017.

Insights emerging from the High Growth Jobs, Talented candidates project will assist SVA and collaborating partners to influence the development of employment policy, particularly the current design of the Disability Employment Services models ahead of National Disability Insurance Scheme rollout.

Case study - John* had been looking for work for ‘too long’

‘I think my disability put other employers off after I disclosed it to them,’ he says. ‘I found it difficult to find work. I struggled to get interviews because most applications are just online. I want to meet people face to face. It was very stressful.’

Recently John’s period of long-term employment came to an end when he got a job as a café assistant with Compass Group, a leading hospitality and services company that provides services at Westpac Group’s corporate offices in Barangaroo.

Day to day, John is required to restock the fridge in the café as well as provide extra support on the other levels. He is also expanding his skills through extra training.

‘It is a good lift up to have this opportunity. It has given me a confidence boost and I didn’t have to rely on family. I did it myself,’ he said.

The Australian Network on Disability and Max Employment worked with Compass Group to help improve managers’ confidence when recruiting and hiring people with disability. Additionally, they adapted the interview process so it was less formal, and John could have a support person with him.

The process saw John attend four day pre-employment training which gave him a boost in confidence ahead of his first day on the job.

‘It feels so good to have an income and not rely on the disability support pension,’ John says. ‘Compass and Westpac have been good, because they understand. I can be open about my disability.’

 

*The name of the employee has been changed to respect their privacy.