The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plays an imperative role in assisting participants in pursuing their employment goals. The intention behind this is to instill a sense of social confidence, self-management, and lifestyle independence within the participants. Being employed gives participants a reason to look forward to life, a purpose of working hard, and motivation to perform at their utmost abilities.
To gain assistance from the NDIS to accomplish your employment goals, you must carry ample supporting material and evidence in the planning meeting to increase your chances of acquiring funds. You must also set clear and achievable short and long-term goals within your NDIS plan. This will help the NDIS be fully aware of your goals and provide sufficient social, emotional, physical, or financial support.
Initially, most employment support funds were allocated to the Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE); however, now, participants are given greater freedom to choose where and how they want to work. There are several ways through which the NDIS supports participants’ employment goals. These include:
1. Counseling to help recognize your core strengths and interests
If you are motivated to work but are unsure of which field to work in, you can always take assistance from the NDIS. The NDIS can provide meaningful counseling sessions to help you determine your areas of interest and the unique skills you possess. Once you are confident about which kind of work you are suited to carry out, you can start looking for relevant jobs. If you need support with finding jobs, don’t hesitate to let the NDIS know about it, as they will provide you with further assistance too.
2. Help in finding a job
The NDIS can provide you with funding to help you find the job that fits you the best. The category ‘Finding and Keeping a Job’ within your NDIS plan is specifically designed to assist you in looking for jobs that you are comfortable performing. You could work in a startup, a well-established firm, a family business, or a microenterprise. The NDIS will assist you in looking for and applying to various jobs, and the final decision will be all yours!
3. Training to secure a position
The NDIS Disability Job Training in Sydney is another form of employment assistance offered by the NDIS. Once you have found good places where you need to apply for jobs, the NDIS can also train you on how to achieve your desired position. They can help you with interview preparations, resume writing, how to dress for jobs, and how to adopt professional workplace behaviour.
4. Supports in employment (workplace assistance)
Supports in employment are explicitly provided to those who have already found a job but require additional support at their workplace. The funding for supports in employment is part of a participant’s Core budget category, which lies under Assistance with Social Economic and Community Participation.
The NDIA determines the final budget for employment support using three documents: reports and assessments, participant consultation, and participant employment goals. Participants are offered help through a support worker and facilities such as on-the-job training, on-the-job assessments (to ensure that they are facing no barriers in operations), job customisation, direct or group-based supervision, assistance with transportation to and from the job, and help with operation of complex machinery.
5. Assistance in transitioning from school to self-employment
Suppose you are highly motivated to start your own business or find jobs between secondary and high school. In that case, you can avail yourself of the School Leaver Employment Support (SLES), which will assist you in transitioning from school to employment.
6. Support in starting your own business
The NDIS can also support your employment goals by helping you create your own business. You need to set achievable goals in your NDIS plan, determine a specific way you want to manage the plan, and get to know which supports you can use to start your own business.
The NDIS allocates two types of funds to help participants become self-employed. These include the employment support funds and the support in employment funds. For detailed information on how to start your own business with the NDIS, feel free to visit their website.
How Eben Mission Can Help
Ebenezer Mission is a registered NDIS provider that provides a range of services for people with disabilities. Through their NDIS Job Training in Sydney And Employment program, they help students transition from school to the workforce by offering education, training, work experience, and employment opportunities.
If you have any queries regarding your NDIS Plan, they have a team of experienced professionals who can assist you. You can reach out to them via email at info@ebenmission.org.au, phone at 0478 831 731, or live chat on their website.