Improving the employment
participation of people with
disability in Australia
discussion paper
Response to the Department of Education,
Employment and Workplace Relations
February 2013
ABN 21 426 149 494 ARBN 108 367 915
Contact for this submission:
Peter Tatham, Executive Director
Career Industry Council of Australia
m: 0407 853 196
e: [email protected]
Address correspondence for the President to:
Unit 3, 192B Burwood Road Hawthorn VIC 3122
CICA Registered Office:
Unit 3, 192B Burwood Rd Hawthorn VIC 3122
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on how best to increase the
employment of people with disability.
About the Career Industry Council of Australia
The Career Industry Council of Australia is the national peak body for the career industry. Established
in 2003, its mission is to:
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Advocate the value of career development for all Australians
Promote career and skill development across the life-span
Develop an evidence base to inform policy and best practice
Enhance strategic relationships including internationally
Promote quality frameworks to all stakeholders and professional standards for career
development practitioners
Influence government, industry, education and community sectors to embed career
development in workforce development and curricula
Enhance collegiality within the career industry to achieve agreed goals.
Over the last decade the Government has supported CICA and member organisations to:
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Develop and implement professional standards and guidelines for career information and
services
Development professional materials such as the Certificate IV in Career Development; national
frameworks such as the Australian Blueprint for Career Development; national information such
as myfuture; and services such as the telephone help line for adults.
Establish processes for benchmarking career development services in the VET and disability
support sectors
Promote the development of a careers helpline (now Experience+), advocate for improvements
in career services in the VET sector; propose a national career development strategy in line with
OECD recommendations1 and call for the re-establishment of a career development taskforce.
Ibid
National peak body for the career industry
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1.
Overview
CICA advocates quality career development service provision for all Australians. Career development
is important for Australia’s future in that it helps people develop the skills to manage their own
learning and work; thereby improving outcomes for education, training, employment and
participation.
In 2011, CICA commissioned research into effective career development services for young people
(15-24) with disability that resulted in Guidelines for Facilitating the Career Development of Young
People with Disability to support those who provide careers information, advice and guidance to
young people with disability. Every young person needs to opportunity to transition successfully
from school to ongoing learning, work and community life. To do this successfully, young people,
including young people with disability, need information, support and guidance, which they receive
from a range of people who directly and indirectly influence the development of their careers.
The Guidelines were developed following consultations with select stakeholders in the career
development and disability services fields, a review of relevant literature covering Australian and
international best practice, and feedback from over 250 practitioners received via an online survey.
The Guidelines were subsequently trialled. The Guidelines are at Attachment A and the report of the
trial at Attachment B. Both can also be found on the CICA website at
http://www.cica.org.au/research/cica-research-papers .
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The case for change
In the broadest sense, career development is about increasing Australia’s human capital. In addition
to personal benefits, there are social and economic benefits that flow from lifelong career
development.
A recent survey found that only half of Australia’s 11.5 million employees believe they are in the
right line of work; just under half of the nation’s workers admit they got into their present career by
“falling into it”; and half of those surveyed are planning a career change in 2013.2 Nearly one-fifth of
university students drop out in their first year. The leakage from trade training is around 50%.
Internationally and in Australia, the impact of the global financial crises is affecting young people and
new entrants into the labour market; reducing hours for part time and casual workers and resulting
in a manufacturing slow down. University graduates are also finding it more difficult to access work3
while, for others, the number of lower-skill, entry-level positions is declining. This is a challenging
environment for all young people; the more so for those with disability. As mentioned in the
discussion paper, the labour force participation rate of people without disability is 82.8 per cent,
compared to 54.3 per cent of people with disability.
Young people with disability face the same barriers and challenges as all young people entering the
workforce. Many of these can be exacerbated by their disability and they may also face a number of
additional barriers, such as negative misconceptions about their ability, a lack of easily accessible
information, and limited workplace experience.
2
Survey by SEEK Learning published in the Canberra Times, 14 January 2013.
See GDS 2011 – it notes a drop in graduate recruitment of 3.4% retrieved July 3 2012
http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/MediaCentre/NewsandMediaReleases/index.htm
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National peak body for the career industry
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CICA commissioned the development of guidelines for facilitating the career development of young
people to assist both career development practitioners with limited understanding of the needs and
opportunities that exist for young people with disability, and disability service providers, including
teachers in special schools, with limited understanding of the characteristics of effective career
development programs for young people.
With the Productivity Commission describing the current disability support system as “underfunded,
unfair, fragmented and inefficient”4 and the OECD finding Australia’s career development service
provision to be fragmented and underfunded5 there is a clearly more that needs to be done.
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Way forward
CICA advocates that the Government:
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Provide a national, all ages, career service – Careers Australia –consolidating existing career
initiatives, which are often a small element of other services.
Develop a national career strategy that would inform and link related activities, including specific
initiatives aimed at improving employment rates for people with disability.
Consider the utility of the CICA Guidelines for facilitating the Career Development of Young
People with Disability and, if appropriate, promote them widely.
Consider the recommendations that emerged from the development and trialling of the
Guidelines, specifically the characteristics that were considered effective.
Support he Council to audit career related service of providers
CICA is keen that individuals are given the best possible opportunity for career exploration because,
notwithstanding the requirements to place job seekers with disability in employment, it can assist
with more positive and long-term career outcomes for them. Agencies working with young people
with disability should be encouraged to employ a mix of professionally qualified practitioners and
other support staff; and schools to provide enhanced career services for students with a disability,
including work experience.
A national career service
A national career service could bring together, under a single brand, the plethora of government
programs, thereby improving services, creating efficiencies, and improving public access. It would
have brand awareness that the public understands.6
A national career service is a model advocated by the OECD and one that has proven to be an
effective means of increasing access to and awareness of career services. It could also assist with
improvements to career services under Job Services Australia and Disability Employment Service
contracts. It would be recognised by the public, be cost effective, accessible and quality assured.
4
PwC, 2011. Disability expectations: Investing in a better life, a stronger Australia. PwC, Australia.
OECD Review of Career Guidance Policies: Australian Country Note 2002.
6
The following names represent a small number of career related programs in Australia; myfuture (AG),
Career Connect (WA), School-Business Partnerships (AG), Youth Connections (AG), Experience +, South
Australia Works (SA), Careers Advisory Service (NSW), Local Learning and Employment Networks (Vic),
Aboriginal Access Centres (SA), Australian Apprenticeship Access Program (AG), Skills Info (NSW), My
University (AG), Guaranteeing Futures (T), Local Connections to Work (AG) and Education and Training
Advisers Program(AG).
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National peak body for the career industry
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This is the direction other countries are taking. New Zealand has long been a leader in this area with
free services provided face to face, via the internet or by phone. In England the services are well
recognised and utilised – with a million telephone advice sessions, 20 million online sessions and
700,000 face-to-face sessions expected next year.
A national career service would have a level of expertise and accountability to ensure that fewer
people fall through the cracks for want of good careers advice. It could build on existing elements to
provide an improved, mainstream system. While some elements are currently funded, although
funding for career development under the National Partnership for Youth Attainment and
Transitions ceases in 2014.
A national strategy
A national career strategy would inspire action, link policies and provide direction. It would apply to
all ages, and people at all stages in their lives and promote whole of government(s) approaches.
Policy responsibility for career development is spread across governments and across agencies yet
there is no unifying strategy, resulting in ad hoc and uncoordinated career development services. An
effective strategy could reduce duplication and provide a recognisable, quality service for all
Australians. It could influence the quality of privately funded activities. Such a strategy should be
created by a leadership body, or taskforce, that is broadly representative of interest groups and that
is prepared to consult widely.
CICA Guidelines for Facilitating the Career Development of Young People with Disability
Career Development is a term used to describe the complex process of managing life, learning and
work over the lifespan. The way we manage this process significantly determines the nature and
quality of individuals’ lives; the kind of people they become; the sense of purpose they have; and the
income at their disposal. It also determines the social and economic contribution they are able to
make to the communities and societies of which they are part. If individuals, including young people
with disability, are to manage their career development effectively, they need:
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learning opportunities to develop their career management skills including:
o skills to understand their own strengths and weaknesses, and needs and wants
o skills to make career-related decisions
o skills to pursue learning and work opportunities
access to high quality information on the opportunities that are available to them
opportunities to explore the relevance of a range of available options
support to develop and implement their personal course of action or career plan.
Findings from the development and trial of the Guidelines
Among other things, the trial found that:
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the Guidelines align effective with other important frameworks, such as the Disability Service
Standards
they connect services and agencies in ways that positively impact the career development of
young people
highlight the need for service providers to have tools and processes in place that assist parents
to recognise their child’s need to express their own unique aspirations
raise awareness of the importance of appropriate professional development for staff providing
career services to young people with disability.
National peak body for the career industry
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Respondents to a survey, undertaken to assist in developing the Guidelines, identified each of the
following characteristics and strategies as being effective:
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arranging work experience activities
arranging mentoring
facilitating networking opportunities (for example with local employers, disability service
providers and education and training providers)
developing individualised career plans
utilising a coordinated and multidisciplinary team approach (incorporating young people,
disability support services, education and training providers, employers and family
members/carers)
early intervention (i.e. career planning activities beginning in early secondary school)
engaging employers during the education and training stages of career development
focusing on developing the skills and abilities necessary for self-management and selfdetermination.
Using CICA quality standards to audit disability service providers
The CICA quality standard provides a benchmark for organisations to assess career
development and related services that support individuals in their career, learning work and
life goals. The CICA Standards can be used by service providers to assess services across four areas:
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Management
Delivery of Services to clients
Quality and Sustainability and
Resources
The CICA Standard focuses on current approaches, impact and successes. The CICA Standard is about
benchmarking and supports continuous improvement in capacity, quality and service improvement.
CICA would like to see this standard adopted by all government funded programs to ensure that
users are getting the quality career support they require to make effective transitions from
unemployment employment and from learning to work.
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In addition
Career development has broad application. Ultimately, the value of career development activities
can be defined by its contribution in assisting individuals to develop skills to make decisions, develop
strategies and to locate satisfying and productive work and learning opportunities. It is integral to
achieving the aspirations of several intergovernmental agreements and Ministerial Council decisions.
A brief summary is at Appendix C.
At the time of this review, the Government is also developing a Core Skills for Work framework; a
National Workforce Development Strategy; an Australian curriculum for work studies in schools; and
a National Career Development Strategy. It is also reviewing employment service provision. There is
an opportunity to link the career development threads of these activities – to add warp to their weft
– and improve the fabric of Australia’s service provision.
National peak body for the career industry
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