Choosing the best disability employment service provider to be your partner on your employment journey can be tricky decision.
It’s important that you shop around to find the best disability employment service provider that will meet your needs.
Not all disability employment services are created equal and it can be difficult to work out who is the right provider for you. It’s most important that you don’t just choose any DES provider – make sure you choose one that’s EPIC!
Choosing a DES provider
Before you start to look at DES providers work out what is important to you. Because we spend the time really getting to know our job seekers we know often they say the most important things when choosing a DES provider are:
- someone who really understands how to help people with disability find and keep a job
- someone who will stay with them
- someone who really wants them to succeed.
We agree that these three things are important to delivering a good service and we strive to work hard to deliver these every day.
If these three things are important to you too, here are three questions to help you choose the best disability employment service provider for you.
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1. Are you a specialist disability employment services provider?
The first question you should ask to make sure you get the best disability employment service provider for you is to make sure they have the specialist skills you need to help you find a keep a job.
At EPIC we do one thing and we do it really well – we’re 100% focussed on supporting job seekers with disability, injury, a mental health condition or a health condition to find work.
Your disability should never stand in the way of finding a job you love. We believe everybody has a right to work. We will do whatever it takes to help you achieve your employment goals.
As a specialist service for people with disability, our staff have the right skills and understanding to help you develop and grow. In fact, 1 in 3 of our employees has a lived experience with disability.
Choosing EPIC means choosing a provider with exactly the right skills to help you succeed.
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2. Will you stay with me on my employment journey?
The second question to consider in choosing the best disability employment service provider is how long they will support you on your employment journey.
At EPIC we understand that getting you a job is not the end of your employment journey – it is the start.
We’ll continue to support you for as long as you need to feel comfortable in your new role. That could be for a week, a year or longer. Our team includes people who can help you develop your on-the-job skills as well as people who can support you during your shifts.
Staying on your journey is something that is not typical for disability employment service providers. By providing this individualised service, we exceed the Australian average in keeping people with disability in work for more than 12 months by almost 10%.
Choosing EPIC means choosing a provider who will stay with you on your employment journey.
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3. How will you invest in my success?
The third question you should ask to help you choose the best disability employment service provider for you is to make sure they are prepared to invest in your success.
At EPIC we will work with you to make sure you have the skills and training you need to succeed.
Being a not-for-profit means we are able to go above and beyond for our job seekers, and support everyone as the individual they are. As a not-for-profit, EPIC can remain true to our core values, and ensure our surpluses support our job seekers. After all, our job seekers are the reason we exist.
We also understand that looking for work can be a challenging time. That’s why we also invest in a specialised mental health support program for our job seekers. Our Mental Health Consultants can support job seekers to develop practical skills and strategies to improve their mental health.
Choosing EPIC means choosing a provider who is committed to investing their profits in to the success of their job seekers.