Centre for Inclusive Employment

About the Centre

The Centre for Inclusive Employment supports Inclusive Employment Australia providers. The Centre gathers and shares disability employment information. The Centre:

• shares best-practice resources, tools and training for providers
• helps providers to deliver high-quality services and support
• supports improved employment outcomes for people with disability
• helps providers to improve their support for employers
• helps to uplift the disability employment sector
• creates resources based on research and evidence of what works
• brings together existing national and international resources.

The Centre aims to improve the quality of services delivered by:

• providers of Inclusive Employment Australia
• Workforce Australia
• Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) program and Remote Australia Employment Service (RAES)
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
• Supported Employment Services.

The Centre improves disability outcomes by ensuring providers have:

• stronger disability awareness to improve support for participants
• knowledge of evidence-based models and approaches
• understanding of customised employment, job coaching and career planning
• improved understanding of employer needs
• skills and knowledge to help employers hire and support employees with disability.

The Australian Government awarded a $22.1 million grant to establish the Centre. This grant went to a consortium led by Swinburne University of Technology. The consortium members include representatives from peak disability and capacity building organisations: 

• Inclusion Australia
• Family Advocacy
• Disability Employment Australia
• National Disability Services
• University of Melbourne.

Advisory Committee

The Centre for Inclusive Employment has set up its Advisory Committee to provide strategic guidance, sector insight and governance oversight. The Advisory Committee consists of a combination of independent members and consortium representatives. 

Advisory Committee members bring deep expertise across disability employment, research, policy and practice. The committee will collaborate to strengthen evidence-informed practice to improve employment outcomes for people with disability.

The independent committee members are:  

• Professor Alastair McEwin AM, Independent Chair 
• Suzanne Colbert AM, Independent Member 
• Ingrid Ozols AM, Independent Member
• Kym Langton, Lived Experience member from Inclusion Australia. 

The consortium members are:  

• Professor Erin Wilson, Director, Centre for Social Impact Swinburne 
• Catherine McAlpine, CEO, Inclusion Australia 
• Cecile Sullivan Elder, Executive Officer, Family Advocacy 
• Colin Entwistle, Head of Employment, National Disability Services 
• Professor Kirsten Dean, Deputy Director, Melbourne Disability Institute, University of Melbourne 
• Peter Bacon, CEO, Disability Employment Australia  

More information

For more information, read the Disability Employment Centre of Excellence - Factsheet.