Driving disability employment: JobAccess and NDRC welcome its 400th employer partner on board
24 August 2023The National Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) – JobAccess’ employer engagement team – recently signed its 400th employer partnership with Torrens University Australia, marking an important step forward in its goal to building disability confidence among Australian employers.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said an increasing number of employers recognise the skills and talents of people with disability but may not know how to recruit or support them.
“There is a significant talent pool of workers available to employers to attract and retain job seekers with disability. It’s not just beneficial for the employee and for boosting disability employment, but it makes good business sense too,” said Minister Rishworth.
“We want to create a society that leverages the strengths of people with disability and empowers employers to hire more people with disability. Everyone should have the right to secure employment.”
JobAccess General Manager Daniel Valiente-Riedl said that, overall, Australian businesses lag behind other similar nations when it comes to employing people with disability.
“This is often due to lack of awareness about the benefits of hiring people with disability, and an incorrect perception that it may be difficult.”
“The good news is that the demand for programs like the NDRC tells us that businesses are open and keen to employing people with disability but need guidance on good practice. The NDRC fill this knowledge gap and it comes at no cost to employers.”
Through its free, tailored 12-month partnership, the NDRC offers a range of services to its employer partners, including disability employment policy consultation, training for managers and human resources personnel, and assistance in finding qualified candidates with disability through DES providers.
Karla Fernee, NDRC Program Manager said, “The program encourages employers to think outside the box when it comes to attracting, hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. One size does not fit everyone, and that’s true for all of us when it comes to employment.”
Since 2010, the NDRC has built an extensive network of public and private organisations across Australia committed to building a disability confident workforce.
In the last year alone, the impact of NDRC’s work has reached over 250,000 employees through its partnerships while 100% of post-partnership survey respondents said they would highly recommend the program to others.
“This speaks volumes about the broader impact that JobAccess and the NDRC make within boardrooms by removing systemic, attitudinal and environmental barriers, increasing employer confidence and improving employment outcomes for people with disability.” Karla adds.
Vice President People & Talent ANZ at Torrens University, Hugo Monteiro Contente, said, “We are proud to partner with JobAccess and the NDRC. With support from the NDRC, we will embark on our journey to become disability confident by removing potential barriers, improving our recruitment process and creating more opportunities for people with disability.”
Aside from bespoke partnerships for large organisations, the NDRC program also runs a free job vacancy distribution service for businesses – big or small – to promote their vacancies to a national network of Disability Employment Services (DES) providers.
Read Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth's announcement on the NDRC's 400th partnership.
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