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 disability.
Recruitable, a pilot to change the recruitment process
It will allow people with disability of working age (around 2.1 million Australians, AIHW) to have more choice and control over their career. 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 labour shortage, creating a more inclusive recruitment process will allow employers to tap into this underutilised talent pool, opening up doors for both parties.
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 firms to understand their current systems, processes, and behaviours to create a more inclusive recruitment experience for candidates with disability and access requirements, and provide recommendations to increase the accessibility.
Recruitable to offer equal job opportunities to all people
Businesses signing up to the program must commit to training staff to ensure a supportive environment and meet an initial quota for hiring people with disability. Some will 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 changing the mainstream recruitment and reshaping perceptions towards them. 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 regardless of the societal perceptions.”
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 businesses and delivers greatly needed progress.”
Recruitable to show benefits of hiring the overlooked pool
Recruitable is the first initiative under the Federal Government’s Disability Employment Strategy – Employ My Ability, a plan of Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031 committed 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 and organisations indicate an openness to hiring people with disability in their stipulated business policies, but only around a third of them 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 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.
