Randstad, the world’s largest recruiter, has partnered with Get Skilled Access, founded by multiple Wheelchair Tennis Grand Slam Champion, Paralympian, disability advocate and 2022 Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott AO, to launch Recruitable – a ground-breaking mainstream recruitment program to transform employment opportunities for people with disability.
Supported by funding from the Morrison Government, the national pilot is designed to increase the inclusion and accessibility of mainstream recruitment processes by enhancing capacity and capability to employ more candidates with a disability. It will allow people with disability of working age (around 2.1 million Australians, AIHW) to have more choice and control over their careers.
Major Australian organisations including Coles, Tennis Australia, Bendigo Bank, Hydro Tasmania, RACQ and Randstad are amongst the first employers to participate in the pilot, which is initially scheduled to run for two years.
With the backdrop of a national labour shortage, simplifying and creating a more inclusive recruitment process will allow employers to tap into this underutilised talent pool, opening up doors for both candidates and employers.
Recruitable aims to provide organisations with insights into the accessibility and inclusion of the current recruitment process and identify the key areas for increasing the hiring process. The recommendations will guide organisations to better understand their current systems, processes, and behaviours to create a more inclusive recruitment experience for candidates with disability and access requirements, and provide recommendations and training to increase accessibility.
Businesses signing up to the program must commit to training their staff to ensure a supportive environment and meet an initial quota for hiring people with disability. Some businesses will also release new job opportunities to Recruitable ahead of going to their current preferred supplier panel.
Dylan Alcott AO, Founder, Get Skilled Access, said, “People with disability have unlimited potential which is why we’re committed to transforming the mainstream recruitment process and reshaping perceptions towards people with disability. A more inclusive model of recruitment is long overdue. Recruitable will offer all Australians an equal opportunity to go after the job of their choice, fulfil their potential and live the life they deserve.”
Madeline Hill, GM, Diversity & Inclusion, Randstad, commented on the launch: “As a major recruiter in Australia with significant influence on the shape of the workforce, driving diversity is absolutely key to Randstad. All the evidence shows that diverse and inclusive workplaces are happier and more productive and, in turn, support wider positive, societal change.
“We are proud to be extending this focus on diversity with the Recruitable program and carving out a new approach to the recruitment process, which keeps people with disability at its heart, brings enormous benefits to Australian businesses and organisations, and delivers greatly needed progress.”
Recruitable is the first initiative under the Federal Government’s Disability Employment Strategy – Employ My Ability, an associated plan of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 which is a commitment across all levels of government to create a more inclusive society where people with disability can reach their full potential.
Minister for Families and Social Services, Anne Ruston, said that the majority of employers indicate an openness to hiring people with disability, but only around a third of businesses show behavioural commitment to doing so.
“People with disability are hardworking and dedicated employees but too often businesses fail to recognise or even consider their skills and capability,” Minister Ruston said.
“The Recruitable pilot will highlight the benefits of a highly talented but regularly overlooked workforce.
“It aims to provide organisations with insights into the accessibility of the current recruitment process and identify the key areas for improving the hiring process.”
The results of the pilot program will be externally evaluated by La Trobe University and the findings will help inform future reforms and initiatives under the Disability Employment Strategy. This strategy was co-designed by the Disability Employment Advisory Committee of which Kerry McQuillan, Queensland State Director and Randstad’s National D&I Lead is a member.
Randstad hopes that a successful pilot program will lead to the wider rollout of the program and a significant shift in employment outcomes for the many Australians with disability.