Employment Report Card

Reccomendation #1

Reintroduce wage subsidies for employers to give young people with disabilities a chance at gaining employment.

Wage subsidies were used in the past, which enabled young people to take the first step into employment.

Roadblocks: Wage subsidies on their own will not fix the employment gaps for disabled people. The adjoining recommendations would need to be implemented alongside this recommendation.

Enablers: Transition services could enhance their services to give purpose to young people transitioning from school to work, which would make these services better and reduce empty promises.

Reccomendation #2

Development of an App for inclusive job.

Encourage employers to advertise that their advertising roles are inclusive by discussing accessibility.

Roadblocks: Ongoing support is required for people with lived experience to train within the mental health sector.

Enablers: The creation of an accreditation system for employers could assist with bringing this recommendation to life and could remove legal barriers.

Reccomendation #3

Creation of an accreditation system to ensure that workplaces are accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities, alongside ensuring mandatory training for all staff.

Accreditation was recommended at previous I.Lead conferences. This year, we reflected that accreditation alone would not lift the opportunities for young people to enter the workforce; it will need to be supported through education.

Roadblocks: If not done as part of a whole work package, accreditation and education on employing young people with disabilities could become a barrier to employment. Enablers: Using accreditation as part of social procurement or as part of contract requirements could give incentives to employers and business owners.

Recommendation #4

Those not-for-profits funded by the government are incentivised through their contracts to employ disabled people.

As with the enablers for accreditation, starting with not-for-profits or government-funded agencies could be a first step in ensuring a disability workforce is given opportunities via contractual arrangements.

Roadblocks: Funding for staff employment is an issue within the not-for-profit sector. The majority of contracts or funding agreements are for the delivery of projects.

Enablers: Joining this recommendation with the recommendation to re-establish the wage subsidy scheme would bring this recommendation to life.