Disability Employment Centre of Excellence

The Disability Employment Centre of Excellence (Centre of Excellence) will develop best practice, evidence-based information to help providers deliver high quality effective employment services and supports to improve disability employment outcomes.

The Centre of Excellence delivers on the Government’s commitment as part of the 2022 Federal election to improve disability employment outcomes.

The Centre of Excellence will increase the effectiveness of a range of Government reforms across the disability employment ecosystem, including the new specialist disability employment program. 

The Centre of Excellence is expected to commence in March 2025, to support the introduction of the new specialist disability employment program from 1 July 2025. A dedicated online hub will be available by September 2025.

What is the Centre of Excellence?

The Centre of Excellence will be an evidence-informed, best-practice hub that will provide resources, tools and training to help providers deliver quality employment services and supports to both participants with disability and employers.

The Centre of Excellence will collect, translate, and disseminate disability employment-related research and evidence of what works into best-practice resources. The Centre of Excellence will bring together and use existing resources available both nationally and internationally.

The Centre of Excellence services are expected to improve the quality of services by providers of the new specialist disability employment program, Workforce Australia, the Community Development Program (CDP), the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and supported employment, including Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs).

The Centre of Excellence will improve disability outcomes by ensuring that providers have:

  • higher levels of disability awareness to support participants more effectively;
  • knowledge of evidence-based models and approaches, including customised employment, job coaching and career planning; and
  • an improved understanding of employer needs, and the skills and knowledge to help employers to hire and support employees with disability.

The Department of Social Services will conduct an open grant round in the first half of 2024-25 to find a provider or consortium of providers that have a strong understanding of the disability employment sector, demonstrated ability to leverage relationships across a range of relevant stakeholders, including people with lived experience of disability, and a track record in establishing and leading partnerships to effectively deliver the Centre of Excellence.

Consultation

The Department of Social Services undertook an open consultation process on the Centre of Excellence between October and November 2023.

The submissions received highlighted that a Centre of Excellence was needed to: 

  • increase employment outcomes for people with disability
  • provide training and resources to disability employment service providers and employers to increase their overall capability 
  • include disability expertise and lived experience, and 
  • foster collaboration.

The Options Paper, Consultation Report, and public submissions can be found on DSS Engage.

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