Jobsupport is a non-profit organization established in 1986 as a demonstration open employment project for the Commonwealth Government to show that people with a significant intellectual disability could achieve open employment. The demonstration open employment project was very successful and today Jobsupport is part of a Disability Employment Network across Australia funded by the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Jobsupport’s Transition to Work service called Community Work Options (CWO) was established in 1997. Community Work Options began as a pilot project for the NSW Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care (DADHC) to show that many people in state funded post-school activity programs could achieve paid employment, with appropriate support. The pilot project was very successful and today CWO is funded by DADHC as part of a network of Transition to Work services across NSW.

Some of Jobsupport’s other achievements over the years include:
•    Winning a National Safety Council award to demonstrate the safety of workers with an intellectual disability
•    Being one of the first open employment services to achieve Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001:2000), Disability Service Standards, and OH&S (AS/NZS 4801:2001) accreditation
•    Demonstrating that open employment services like Jobsupport are cost-effective for the Australian taxpayer. In 2005 an Econtech report estimated Jobsupport’s net annual cost to government per client at $1692, the net annual cost to government of supported employment at $6358, and the net annual cost of ATLAS services at $15699
•    Developing training materials that were distributed throughout Australia by the Commonwealth Government as an example of good practice to assist other organisations to replicate the service
•    Initiating a staff training course in conjunction with the University of Sydney.

Jobsupport is proud of the open employment outcomes we have achieved together with our clients and their employers. Jobsupport caters for people with a significant intellectual disability who are unlikely to access other open employment services.  Jobsupport currently supports over 480 people in open employment jobs throughout Sydney
•    Over 80% of the Sydney school leavers with a moderate intellectual disability who achieve open employment do so through Jobsupport
•    71% of Jobsupport clients achieve a 26-week outcome rate. The industry average for people with an intellectual disability is 42%
•    The average wage for Jobsupport clients is $309, the industry average for people with an intellectual disability is $242
•    Jobsupport’s retention rate in employment for 2003-2004 was 91%. The industry average for people with an intellectual disability was 77%
•    60% of all the people with a significant intellectual disability ever placed into employment by Jobsupport since 1986 are still employed.

Over 100 people have now completed Jobsupport's Transition to Work program CWO and are now in open employment. Over 70% of the people who have completed CWO have achieved open employment.

Jobsupport is committed to continual improvement. Dr John Kregel from Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States conducted a program evaluation of Jobsupport in October 2004. Virginia Commonwealth University is one of the top facilities in the world for technical assistance and program evaluation. Dr Kregel’s evaluation included the following comments:
‘The clinical skill and experience of the program’s staff members and the organization’s overall commitment to excellence are simply the best I have ever seen. I have reviewed over 200 open employment programs in 18 states in the US and five other countries. From the perspective of the application of proven clinical principles to job search, placement, and maintenance training the skill of the Jobsupport staff is second to none.’

‘Program retention exceeds any standard I have seen in any program anywhere.’

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For the latest results please see our Open Employment Report Card and our Transition to Work Report Card and the DADHC TTW Results.