Pilot Employment Programs

Employment Pilots

In November 2022 IncludeAbility launched two innovative Pilot Employment Programs which created employment opportunities for people with disability, and helped develop a model for how other employers can successfully employ people with disability.

The IncludeAbility Pilot Employment Programs have been a flagship opportunity to better understand and address the barriers that employers face when recruiting, retaining and advancing people with disability in the workplace and put the learnings of the IncludeAbility Project into practice.

In collaboration with IncludeAbility Ambassadors and Employer Network Members, the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne, specialist disability employment providers, local employers and participants, two Pilot sites were established; in the Illawarra region of NSW and Perth Western Australia. 

IncludeAbility Illawarra

IncludeAbility Illawarra is a place based program in the New South Wales Illawarra region with specialist disability employment provider The Disability Trust. The focus was on employees with an acquired disability who are seeking to return to work.

Employers were asked to commit to offering employment to at least one participant for a minimum of 13 weeks at a minimum of 15 hours per week at full award wages. Six employers took part: The Disability Trust, Employer Network Members Kmart and Australia Post, University of Wollongong Global and College, and Illawarra iTech.

Learn more about the IncludeAbility Illawarra Pilot.

Woolworths and Good Sammy

IncludeAbility’s pilot in Perth, Western Australia involved a collaboration with IncludeAbility Employer Network Member Woolworths Group and specialist disability employment provider Good Sammy Enterprises.

The Woolworths Pilot involved 15 young people with intellectual or cognitive disability who work at Good Sammy being offered roles in Woolworths stores in the Perth area.

The Pilot period was for a period of 12 weeks, with 8 hours of employment per week, at full award wages. 

The Pilot applied a job customisation approach of matching individual interests and skills with roles that need to be performed in Woolworths stores.

Learn more about the Woolworths Good Sammy Pilot.