Connecting pathways to employment with the Work Integration Social Enterprise (WISE)-Ability model: final report

This report provides an overview of the development of an organisational design model to support pathways from disability enterprises to mainstream employment for participants. The approach draws on previous work identifying the organisational design features that best support the health, wellbeing, and employment outcomes of marginalised young people in a social enterprise environment. 

The report describes a version of the WISE-Ability Model on which the approach is based; shares findings from research with disability enterprise partners; outlines the challenges disability enterprises face in carving out employment pathways using
NDIS funding; and outlines what works to generate employment pathways.

Key findings

1. Different pathways to employment work for different individuals.
2. The role of employers is critical.
3. The importance of discovery: most disability enterprises are spending a significant amount of time in the early phase of the employment pathway, including discovery, assessment and administration documentation for participants.
4. Employment pathways costs: there is a large variation across partners in the cost for an employment pathway as they involve different levels of support.
5. Protracted transitions: participants who felt marginalised from employment opportunities or who were waiting for employment experienced a negative impact on their mental health.