About Disability Employment Services

Disability Employment Services (DES) provide specialist assistance to job seekers with disabilities who require on going support to find and maintain employment. DES organisations are federally funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and delivered by a network of organisations around Australia.

A job seeker can be referred to DES or may approach an organisation directly if they:

  • have a permanent (or likely to be permanent) disability and
  • have a reduced capacity for communication, learning or mobility and
  • generally require support for more than six months after placement in employment.

In addition to these criteria, a job seeker may be referred to a DES provider if they require specialist assistance to build their capacity in order to share the financial, social and personal benefits that employment offers.

DES providers offer a service which assists job seekers to gain and maintain employment in the open employment market or to become self-employed. Open employment is also known as Competitive Employment as job seekers with a disability are competing for and also working alongside their able bodied counterparts. Most Open Employment DES providers will offer the following services to a job seeker with a disability:

  • individualised assistance to find a job in the open labour market
  • individualised and continuing support at the worksite once the job seeker has found a job. This support is not only practical and intuitive but it is also tailored to the needs of the employer and the abilities of the job seeker. This support is very hands on at job commencement and during early learning. The focus in the first few weeks for a Open employment provider is to train the job seeker to work safely, productively and then quickly.
  • As the job seeker become more competent the support required begins to fade. Eventually the new worker may only be visited by his support network once a month but, if required, the on the job support for the job seeker with a disability can be increased to a mutually agreed level.

Each year open employment services across Australia help more than 50 000 people with moderate to severe disabilities find and maintain employment.

For more information about how DES members can help you, or to locate your local service, visit jobaccess.gov.au or phone a JobAccess Adviser on 1800 464 800.