Centre for Inclusive Employment

The Centre for Inclusive Employment, previously named the Disability Employment Centre of Excellence, will provide best-practice, evidence-based information for providers.

About the Centre for Inclusive Employment

The Disability Employment Centre of Excellence has a new name – Centre for Inclusive Employment (the Centre).

The Centre will be a hub for best-practice information. We expect the Centre to start in March 2025. A dedicated online hub will be available by September 2025.

The Centre will provide resources, tools and training for providers. This will help providers deliver quality employment services and supports. It will support improved employment outcomes for people with disability. It will also help providers to improve their support for employers.

The Centre will collect, translate, and share information related to disability employment. It will create resources based on research and evidence of what works. It will also bring together existing national and international resources.

The information gathered by the Centre will ensure more effective disability employment reforms. It will support Inclusive Employment Australia from 1 July 2025.  

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

  • providers of Inclusive Employment Australia
  • Workforce Australia
  • Community Development Program (CDP)
  • National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
  • Supported Employment Services.

The Centre will improve 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 Government awarded the $22.1 million grant establish the Centre.

This grant went to Swinburne University of Technology and a consortium. This includes representatives from peak disability and capacity building organisations, including:

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

Read the Disability Employment Centre of Excellence - Factsheet(Opens external website) for more information.

Grant opportunity

A grant opportunity was open from 4 September to 23 October 2024. The grant sought a provider or consortium of providers that have the following:

  • a strong understanding of the disability employment sector
  • demonstrated ability to leverage relationships across a range of relevant stakeholders. This includes people with lived experience of disability
  • a track record in establishing and leading partnerships.

Visit the GrantConnect website(Opens external website) for more information on the grant opportunity.

Consultation

We undertook an open consultation process on the Centre between October and November 2023.

The submissions received highlighted the need for the Centre to:

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

Visit our Engage website(Opens external website) to read the Options Paper, Consultation Report and public submissions(Opens external website).

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DSS2640 | Permalink: www.dss.gov.au/node/2640