JoshEighteen-year-old Emma finishes high school in six weeks. While her classmates debate university courses and gap year adventures, Emma faces a terrifying void. She has autism, and the structured school environment that’s defined her life for twelve years is about to disappear.
Her parents lie awake, wondering: what happens next? Where does she go? Who helps her build the skills to work, live independently, and thrive?
This crisis point affects thousands of young people with disabilities every year, the moment when familiar school routines end, but adult services haven’t begun. The transition feels like falling off a cliff into uncertainty. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way.
The NDIS school leavers program exists specifically to support young people at this critical juncture, transforming the terrifying transition from school to adult life into a structured pathway that builds the capabilities needed for employment and independence.
Understanding the School Leavers Employment Supports Program
The NDIS School Leavers Employment Supports (SLES) program provides young people with disabilities aged 15-24 who are about to leave, or have recently left, secondary school with structured support to develop employment and life skills. This isn’t generic youth employment assistance; it’s specialised support that addresses the unique challenges young people with disabilities face when navigating adult life.
Who Qualifies for the School Leavers Program NDIS Support
Eligibility Requirements:
- Age 15-24 years old
- NDIS participant with an approved plan
- Currently in their final two years of secondary school, or
- Left school within the past two years
- Employment goal included in their NDIS plan
- Not presently employed 8+ hours per week
This eligibility framework captures young people at the critical transition point when structured support prevents the drift into long-term unemployment and social isolation that too often follows school completion for young people with disability.
The Comprehensive Support Framework
A) Employment Skills Development
- Workplace Behavior and Professional Conduct: Young people learn punctuality, appropriate workplace communication, following instructions, asking for help when needed, and managing workplace relationships foundational skills that neurotypical peers often absorb unconsciously but that many young people with disability need explicit teaching to master.
- Industry-Specific Skills Training: Rather than generic preparation, programs provide hands-on experience in actual industries. This might include hospitality skills in commercial kitchens, retail operations in real stores, administration in professional offices, or horticulture in landscaping operations.
- Job Search Capabilities: Participants develop practical competencies in resume creation, cover letter writing, application completion, interview skills, and decision-making about disability disclosure, enabling independent job searching beyond program support.
- Workplace Safety Understanding: Training covers identifying hazards, following safety procedures, using personal protective equipment, and understanding workplace rights and responsibilities, essential knowledge for preventing workplace injuries.
B) Life Skills for Independence
- Daily Living Capabilities Programs address personal care routines, meal preparation, household management, budgeting and money management, and time management, enabling independent living alongside employment.
- Community Participation Young people learn using public transport, accessing community services, engaging in social activities, and navigating community spaces, building confidence beyond supervised environments.
- Communication and Social Skills Training develops both verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction across various contexts, conflict resolution, and advocacy for personal needs and capabilities, all crucial for workplace success and community integration.
- Technology Literacy Digital skills, including email communication, online information searching, appropriate use of social media, and utilisation of assistive technology, prepare young people for technology-dependent modern workplaces.
C) The Structured Pathway Approach
Effective school-leaver programs don’t just place young people in random work experiences; they follow systematic pathways that build capabilities progressively.
Phase 1: Assessment and Goal Setting
- Comprehensive Capability Assessment: Understanding current skills, interests, support needs, and long-term aspirations through observation, discussion, and structured assessment tools.
- Interest and Strength Identification: Discovering what motivates the young person, which activities they enjoy, where their natural talents lie, and which work environments might suit their preferences.
- Goal Development: Creating specific, achievable employment and independence goals that reflect the young person’s aspirations while remaining realistic about timelines and support requirements.
- Support Need Determination: Identifying what accommodations, assistive technology, communication strategies, or environmental modifications enable success.
Phase 2: Skill Building Through Real Experience
- Work Experience Placements: Structured opportunities in actual workplaces where young people practice skills under supervision while building confidence, references, and employer connections.
- Supported Volunteering Community engagement providing work-like experiences without employment pressure, developing routines and skills whilst contributing meaningfully.
- Simulated Work Environments: Some programs operate social enterprises or training facilities that replicate real workplace demands in highly supported settings before transitioning to independent employment.
- Progressive Responsibility Increase: Gradually expanding task complexity, reducing supervision intensity, and extending work duration as capabilities develop.
Phase 3: Employment Transition
- Job Matching and Placement: Connecting young people with employers whose needs align with developed capabilities, whilst ensuring workplace accessibility and support availability.
- On-the-Job Support: Providing workplace support during initial employment, helping both employee and employer navigate the adjustment period successfully.
- Workplace Modification Consultation: Advising employers on accommodations enabling successful performance, task restructuring, communication adjustment, sensory environment modification, or assistive technology implementation.
- Sustainable Employment Focus: Ensuring placements offer genuine career potential rather than dead-end positions, with pathways for skill development and advancement.
Measuring Success Beyond Just Job Placement
Quality school-leaver programs track outcomes, revealing genuine life transformation rather than just temporary employment.
- Sustained Employment Rates: Measuring participants maintaining employment for 6, 12, and 24 months indicates genuine career establishment rather than short-term placements.
- Independence Growth: Tracking capability development across daily living, community participation, and self-advocacy reveals holistic progress.
- Quality of Life Improvements: Assessing confidence, social connection, sense of purpose, and overall wellbeing captures benefits extending beyond employment metrics.
- Family Satisfaction: Monitoring whether families feel their young person received appropriate support and achieved meaningful progress provides accountability.
Your Young Person’s Pathway Forward
If you’re a parent, carer, or support coordinator for a young person with disability approaching school completion, the school leavers program NDIS offers structured pathways that prevent the post-school void whilst building genuine employment and independence capabilities.
Contact NDIS providers specialising in school leaver employment supports to explore how these programs can help your young person build the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to thrive beyond school.