Jobsupport is a non-profit organisation established in 1986
Jobsupport’s Transition service was established in 1997. It began as a pilot project for Family and Community Services to show that many people in state funded post-school activity programs could achieve paid employment, with appropriate support. A network of Transition to Work services were developed throughout NSW from this pilot, with Jobsupport being the most successful in achieving open employment outcomes. The current School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) funding within the NDIS is based on the NSW Transition to Work services model.
The success of the Jobsupport program in Sydney led to the expansion of the service to Melbourne and Brisbane.
Some of Jobsupport’s other achievements over the years include:
Demonstrating that open employment services like Jobsupport are cost-effective for the Australian taxpayer: In 2005 an Econtech report estimated Jobsupport’s net annual cost to government per client at $1,692, the net annual cost to government of supported employment at $6,358, and the net annual cost of ATLAS services at $15,699.
Winning a National Safety Council award to demonstrate the safety of workers with an intellectual disability.
Being one of the first open employment services to achieve Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001), Disability Service Standards, and OH&S (AS/NZS 4801) accreditation.
Developing a model of calculating productivity-based wages that became the basis of the Supported Wage System in Australia.
Developing a postgraduate certificate course in conjunction with the University of Sydney which is provided to Jobsupport staff working directly with service–users.
Jobsupport has a strong history of making freely available its training materials to other services and the Jobsupport manual has been previously distributed throughout Australia by the Commonwealth Government as an example of good practice to assist other organisations to replicate the service.
Being involved in Innovation Fund Project on Evidence based Training and Technical Assistance. An outcome of this project has been an online course developed in conjunction with Virginia Commonwealth University in the US. This on-line course, which may be of benefit to both Transition to Work and Open Employment services, will be available on an ongoing basis.