The not-for-profit organisation Social Futures can support Central Coast employers fill job vacancies by showing them how to access a skilled but untapped workforce – people with disability.
The leading not-for-profit organisation, Social Futures, is a National Disability Insurance Scheme Partner in the Community.
Social Futures says it is easy and inexpensive to become an inclusive workplace for people living with disability, opening the potential to attract new employees and customers.
Many businesses in Australia are struggling to recruit staff. Meanwhile around one in five Australians have a disability, that’s more than four million people. According to Australian Human Rights Commission, Australians with disability have low workforce participation rates. Only around 53 per cent of people with disabilities are employed, compared with 84 per cent of people without.
Social Futures’ Local Area, Maree Jenner, said Social Futures has produced helpful videos about employing staff with disabilities. You can watch those inclusive workplace videos here: https://socialfutures.org.au/service/building-inclusive-workplaces/
Social Futures can also deliver onsite inclusive workshops on the NSW Central Coast – Jenner is delivering some of those workshops.
“Many talented people, with great work ethics, can’t get a job because employers either don’t recognise what they have to offer or think it will be too hard to accommodate a person with disability,” Jenner said.
“Social Futures, which delivers the National Disability Insurance Scheme in about 50% of northern regional New South Wales, employs many talented people with disabilities. We know how to make it work and we are sharing our knowledge.
“We can explain that there’s so many resources out there to support business, including funding to make workplace adjustments for an employee with disability.”
Jenner said the Social Futures workplace workshop and videos had been crafted by staff with disabilities – inclusion experts.
“So many businesses have a shortage of workers now but remember there is a large and diverse cohort of people you can draw on – people with disability.”
Jenner said the employment rate of people with disabilities hadn’t budged in 20 years and Australia has one of the lowest employment rates for people with disability in the OECD.
“Just think, you can open up new recruitment possibilities, bring new skills to your business, attract more customers, improve team culture and employ a person with disability based on their merit, skills and talents.”