Moving from school to work

Who is this guide for?
Why should you think about moving from school to work?
Who can you talk to about moving from school to work?
What support options are available for moving from school to work?
How can the NDIS support you moving from school to work?
Finding the right service provider
Where else can you go for more information?
References
Disclaimer

Who is this guide for?

This guide has information for secondary school students thinking about work after they finish school.

The information is for:

people on the autism spectrum
people with an intellectual disability
people with a psychosocial disability

Other people may also find the information helpful.

Download this Guide in East Read format:

It is important to start thinking as early as possible about your move from school to work. Having a goal for work while you are at school can make the move to work easier. A part time job is a good way to get some work experience. A LAC or support coordinator if you have one can connect you with supports for career planning, such as career guidance and work experience.

You can talk with your parents, carers, teachers, career advisors, friends and other people you know about working after school.

Together, you can:

think about jobs that would be good for you
think about what you work goals might be
think about the steps you can take to pursue your work goals
gain confidence
see what training you need to get the job you want
you can also talk to your LAC or planner about your goals to work as early as possible

You can also:

Talk to people you know in the community like a coach, community leader or family friends. They may help you to get work experience or find a job.
Learn from other people’s experience by talking to them about how they found work after school.
Talk to a career guidance or counselling professional about moving from school to work. You can talk about your skills and interests and match these to different jobs. Career guidance can help you see if you need to learn new skills to reach your work goals.

Below is a list of options that can help you move from school to work. You might try some different options before you find one that works for you. Your supports might combine two or more of the options listed below:

support to build skills to live more independently
support to help you build skills for work and discover what work might suit you – including support to gain experience in actual work settings
support to find the right job for you
support to keep your job

Getting ready to move from school to work

It's important to think about:

what new skills you need to get a job
where you want to work?
how you will get a job?
how you can get to work?
do you want to work full-time or pat-time?
getting experience in different workplaces to see what interests you
volunteering in organisations that interest you
getting a part-time or casual job while you are still at school
getting a part-time or casual job while you are still at school
do you need any supports at work to help you? This can be things like screen reading software, support for personal care or interpreting at work?
if you need supports at work, how can they be included in your work day? If you need help talking with your employer about supports at work, you could talk first with your family, friends, LAC, or support coordinator if you have one.

How these supports can help?

Building new skills can help you live more independently. These skills can help you with work. New skills might be catching public transport or getting your driver’s license. New skills could also be managing money, communicating with colleagues, keeping on time, teamwork and controlling emotions. Participants have told us building new skills helped them get a job, keep that job or move on to a new job. Research suggests the best way to develop new skills is with on the job training.
Work experience is a good way to learn more about a job you are interested. Work experience can build your confidence, skills and contacts for future job searches.
Apprenticeships/traineeships can give you both training and paid work in a field you are interested in. Apprenticeships and traineeships usually take 2 to 4 years. You can talk to your school about opportunities to connect with apprenticeships or traineeships while you are still at school.
Volunteering is unpaid work. It can be a great first step to getting paid work. Like work experience, you can spend time volunteering in a job you are interested in. Volunteering can build your confidence, skills and contacts for future job searches.

Talk to your NDIA planner, LAC or support coordinator about:

Developing and using your plan to pursue your work goals.
Getting supports in your community.

Ask them questions like:

How do I develop a plan so I can get a job?
What supports and services are available for me to:
- build new skills?
- prepare me for work?
- help me find work?
- What activities have other people like me found useful?
- How do I find a good provider to help me?

NDIS resources

Read and do the tasks in the Let’s talk about work booklet
Read Work and study supports | NDIS
Read about School Leavers Employment Support
Read our School leaver employment supports booklet
Read and complete our School leaver employment goals worksheet
Visit our supports in employment webpage
Watch our stories and videos about employment
Understand the evidence on employment supports

We have a list of providers you can search on the Provider Finder webpage .

Choose a provider who:

Listens to you and treats you as an individual
Asks you about your skills and interests
Sets up opportunities for you to explore your skills and interests at work
Offers to arrange work experience and/or on the job workplace training in a job that interests you
Provides you with opportunities to build your work skills and work capacity
Has skilled staff with expertise in placing young people in work
Has a database that matches your interests and skills with employers
Gives you information about their successes helping young people get and keep a job

The ‘Let’s talk about work booklet’ suggests some questions to ask:

What supports would you recommend based on the employment skills I need to develop?
Do you provide one-on-one or group support?
What qualifications do your staff have?
What types of businesses or companies have you placed people in and what type of jobs are they doing?
Will you arrange work experience for me in a job I am interested in?
How many participants have you helped to get a job?
How long do most of your participants stay in a job?

Your school funds anything that is part of your education and learning Disability Gateway has information and services for people with disability, including:

links to state-based services
employment training
finding and keeping a job
employment rights

JobAccess has information for people with disability, employers and service providers.

Australian School-based Apprenticeships has information about school based apprenticeships and links to more information.

Everyone Can Work has information for people with intellectual disability and their families about supports to help them find open employment.

You can talk to your LAC, Support Coordinator or Planner about access to these supports.

Kavanagh A, Brown D, Dickinson H, Mallett S, Marck C, Weld-Blundell I. (2021). Evidence review: Strategies to increase employment and economic participation for people with a cognitive disability. The University of Melbourne.
National Disability Insurance Agency 2021. Achieving a ‘sense of purpose’: pathways to employment for NDIS participants with intellectual disability, on the autism spectrum and with psychosocial disability. Australia. Prepared by L Smith, A Ames, M Bennett, R Morello.
Wilson, E. & Campain, R. (2020). Fostering employment for people with intellectual disability: the evidence to date , Hawthorn, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology.

Disclaimer

This guide can help you understand which supports you could use to help you pursue your work goals. It does not mean a support will be added to your plan. It does not mean a support will be funded by the NDIS. Some of these supports are provided outside the NDIS. All supports in your plan must meet our reasonable and necessary standards. This includes being value for money. If you read this guide, you should also read work and study supports .

Moving from school to work

On this page

Who is this guide for?

Getting ready to move from school to work

NDIS resources