New partnership to improve employer engagement

At the recent Disability Employment Australia (DEA) Leaders’ Forum, Prospert was pleased to announce a new initiative to drive disability employment through high quality engagement with employers in partnership with DEA.

CEO of DEA, Peter Bacon, said he was proud to have this sector-led response out of the gates within weeks of the Royal Commission’s report being published.

“As a peak body, we recognise and accept the recommendation that the Disability Royal Commission makes about driving new standards in workforce competence, and our work with Prospert is a huge part of this. At the coalface, this is about equipping our workforce with the knowhow to talk to employers about inclusion and the very real bottom line benefits of employing people who live with disability.”

In her keynote address, the Minister for Social Services, the Hon Amanda Rishworth, also spoke about the opportunity for DES providers in employer engagement.

“My message to you is to seize the opportunity as DES providers… the role that you can play in helping employers realise the benefits [of disability inclusion] is critical,” she said.

“You have a network right across this country. The number of employers that you meet with, talk with, connect with, is a network that no other organisation has. And so your ability to change the attitudes, to connect with employers, and really enact the vision of the Disability Royal Commission is critical.”

DEA will establish a new Professional Members Program where sector practitioners will take control of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and Prospert’s learning programs are a key element.

In particular, Prospert’s ‘Effective Employer Engagement’ course is endorsed by DEA as best practice professional development in that skillset. This course is now delivered around the world including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States and is set to expand to Europe and the Middle East in 2024.

Prospert Founder & Director, Paul Diviny said, “We are using our expertise gleaned from research across the globe, to provide comprehensive professional development for people working in disability employment in Australia. Our Effective Employer Engagement course has become the learning program of choice for a large number of employment services providers and offers baseline training for practitioners working with employers.”

“What sets our eLearning programs apart is our Live Learning sessions which include group coaching and personal mentoring.? It’s an opportunity for participants to join with their peers and discuss the ‘real world’ application of newly learned tools and techniques in working with employers to improve employment opportunities for people with disability,” said Paul.

In a recent customer satisfaction survey, 94% of Prospert course participants would recommend the program, 87% of participants found the program content relevant to their role and 91% of participants can use the skills/tools learned in the course of their work.

To find out more about Prospert’s course, visit the website.