How Paralympic star aims to connect 45,000 businesses with 100,000 job seekers
As the talent shortage grips employers across the country, Australian of the Year, multiple tennis grand slam champion and three-time Paralympic gold medallist, Dylan Alcott, has launched an online platform he hopes will connect 45,000 employers with 100,000 job seekers when he shines a light on an under-utilised talent pool.
On Monday, Alcott and Social Services Minister Anne Ruston launched The Field, an initiative that will provide jobseekers with disabilities an opportunity to showcase their strengths and abilities online and reach potentially thousands of registered hiring managers.
One in six Australians are estimated to have a disability, that’s around 4.4 million people, and only 53% of people with disability are currently participating in the labour force. Of that 53%, 88% of employed wage or salary earners with a disability do not require support to work. Research conducted by Accenture in 2020 found that organisations focused on disability engagement grow their sales 2.9x faster and profits 4.1x faster than the competition.
Large corporates, small and medium businesses and government sectors who are currently recruiting will be able to register and connect with jobseekers with disability who have showcased themselves and highlighted their abilities online.
Alcott, who was left paraplegic as an infant after surgery to remove a tumour from his spinal cord, said in his Australian of the Year acceptance speech that “his purpose is changing perceptions so people with disability can get out there and live the lives that they deserve to live”.
The Field will be run by Alcott’s company Get Skilled Access (GSA) and will be designed by people with disabilities. The Field is backed by a $6 million government investment and will be supported by an extensive advertising campaign set to begin later this year. Senator Ruston said, “People with disability are hard-working and dedicated employees and businesses should recognise their potential contribution to any workplace.”
Alcott’s company GSA works collaboratively with organisations to give them the confidence to make better inclusive decisions and improve accessibility and inclusion for everyone. GSA’s client list includes enterprise, SME businesses and government agencies, among them, the Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry, and multi-nationals like Google and Woolworths. They encourage businesses to challenge their unconscious biases and negative perceptions and lift their expectation of what they think people with disability can do.
A separate initiative run by Alcott’s company GSA in conjunction with Randstad Australia was launched alongside The Field. The RecruitAble pilot program aims to improve business recruitment practices so more companies hire people with disabilities. The pilot will develop a best-practice approach for employing people with disabilities. Alcott said the new scheme will tackle existing recruitment systems that are not accessible or inclusive. Big businesses including Coles, Bendigo Bank and Tennis Australia have already signed up to the $2.4 million program.
Coles CEO Steven Cain said he wanted his management team to “improve disability hiring acumen across Coles Group more broadly and ultimately seek to increase the number of people with disability that we hire.”
“It’s time for employers to take the lead in creating inclusive workplaces and recruitment processes so people with disability have more choice and control over their careers.”
