Innovative collaboration to boost employment for people with disability

A new two-year program will boost opportunities for people with disability working at one of Australia’s largest disability service providers, driving a shift from traditional supported employment to an innovative social enterprise model that prioritises meaningful employment outcomes and bolsters commercial success.

genU was one of three successful applicants announced for the new White Box Enterprise (WBE) Evolve Program, which is specifically designed to support disability organisations on their social enterprise journey.  

genU CEO Clare Amies said being selected for the program acknowledged how genU was well placed to grow its capacity and marked a step forward in its mission to create meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

“Thanks to White Box Enterprises and their innovative Evolve Program, we have an outstanding opportunity to expand our impact and continue securing long-term opportunities for people with disability across Australia,” she said.

“Our existing employment model gets results for people with disability, through creating the right environment for people to follow their passion, identify their skills and strengths, and reach their employment goals.

“We are excited about the potential this program has to benefit our 400 supported employees, and ensuring we continue to provide access for people with disability to meaningful employment, fair wages, and the training they need to succeed in mainstream roles.”

Ms Amies said with the current rate of employment for people with disability in Australia sitting at 56%, compared to 82% of people without disability, organisations like genU and WBE would play a vital role to reduce the gap.

“We would all agree this rate is unacceptable and we need to get it much higher,” she said. “Using our combined expertise, we believe this collaboration, will help us address this imbalance and create more employment opportunities for people with disability wanting to contribute to our society through working.”

White Box Enterprises Chief Operating Officer Mark Daniels said genu would receive about 150 days of consulting and up to $350,000 in grant funding to support the social enterprise development, as well as access to impact investment, industry connections and systems to support organisational transformation.

“The Evolve program is about demonstrating what’s possible when disability enterprises are empowered to adopt the jobs-focused social enterprise model,” Mr Daniels said. 

“genU, Waverley, and Intelife are already making a difference, and this program will help them achieve more equitable, inclusive, and impactful workplaces.

“At its core, the Evolve Program is about creating a future where every person with a disability can access meaningful, well-paid work in inclusive environments that unlock their full potential.”

Ms Amies said the collaboration with WBE also aligned with the Federal Government’s Disability Employment Strategy to increase employment of people with disability and the benefits this delivers to employers and the community.

“We know inclusive workplace cultures allow people with disability to thrive, and we see this every day across our business areas, including our kitchens, nurseries, cafes, and landcare teams,” Ms Amies said.

“As a profit-for-purpose organisation committed to building genuinely inclusive communities, genU shares many values with WBE, including that anyone who wants access to a job deserves one, and we can support them to reach their full potential.”

For more information about genU’s employment pathways, visit https://www.genu.org.au/services/employment-services/.

For more information about the White Box Enterprise Evolve Program, visit https://whiteboxenterprises.com.au/innovate/disability-enterprise-evolve-program/.