Whitehorse opens local government jobs to youth with disability

The challenge 

Council’s Disability Action Plan includes a clear commitment to an inclusive employment model for people with disability and others who face barriers. Yet, a period of organisational change, gaps in knowledge about traineeship pathways, and the absence of a coordinated approach was stalling practical progress. Teams weren’t always clear on which traineeships matched workforce needs, how to supervise and capture on-the-job learning, what supports were needed to help learning workers complete their formal qualification, or what ongoing roles might be available for trainees to transition into post-qualification.

The Lab offered a structured way to address these issues and design a sustainable model that would work in practice, connecting all the groundwork Council had previously undertaken to create a great place to work.

I would recommend [the Lab] wholeheartedly to any organisation feeling they could be supported better in this space, to do what they need to do for their organisation and deliver something with strength!” Anna Sulit • Talent Acquisition Specialist, Whitehorse City Council

Building the pilot

The idea emerging from the Lab was to redesign an entry level role and turn it into a real opportunity.

WCC worked with SVA and CYDA to reshape an existing role to ensure it was suitable for a young person with disability in the Civic Centre’s customer service area. Learnings from the Lab, insights and feedback from youth consultants, combined with guidance from the Lab coaches were used to simplify the existing Customer Service position, redefine key tasks and rework the job description to avoid jargon and remove unnecessary information. As a result, the position description was reduced from five pages to two with inclusive, values-aligned language embedded. The recruitment and interview process was redefined to embed flexibility and respond to individual needs and strengths.

The pilot team focused on designing a rotation model so that the trainee would work across several areas and roles over 18 months, building skills, experience and confidence while discovering the best fit for ongoing employment.

After unpacking the relevant services available from potential training providers, their flexibility, expertise and capacity to provide tailored support where needed, Chisholm TAFE was engaged to match qualifications and training requirements to the role and provide support to the trainee and Council throughout this learning journey. Council’s local partners were engaged and SVA brokered introductions with local employment service providers and disability organisations to build and strengthen a network of partners.

One crucial component for the pilot design was meeting with managers across Council early, to gauge interest in hosting trainees throughout the rotation period. This engagement enabled concerns around supervision and post-traineeship roles to be surfaced and mitigated; it also sparked conversations about Council’s role as an inclusive employer, and ways to build organisation–wide capability.

Embracing the opportunity to further engage with leaders and staff, WCC held a Pathways to Employment Forum, sharing Lab learnings and highlighting opportunities across Council, triggering deeper discussions. “A moment that stands out, was when our CEO turned to leadership and asked ‘Well, what are you doing about this?’, recalls the team. With leadership’s buy-in, 13 staff from People & Culture, Customer Service and the Executive Team completed CYDA’s Workplace Disability Awareness Training.

Key learnings and outcomes

After further planning, WCC secured approval to advertise a designated role, a Customer Service Traineeship for a young person with disability.  The role is an 18-month Customer Service Traineeship based at the Whitehorse Civic Centre. The traineeship has been designed as the first step in an employment pathway with intent to offer a transition into ongoing employment in Council. Supported by training from Chisholm TAFE, trainees will build skills across several Council areas allowing them to determine what future roles align with their skills and aspirations.

Engaging in hard conversations was one of the biggest challenges. Reservations about saying the wrong thing made some staff default to silence. ‘The pilot has sparked deeper conversations about workplace culture and inclusion,’ says the team, ‘with more now asking how they can get involved.”

The Lab helped WCC create a safe environment to learn and grow together, address biases, equip staff with language and tools, including provision of a conversation guide including a Q&A script for appropriate conversations about workplace adjustments and maintain the structure needed to deliver on commitments.

“Exponentially, I think our team became clear on what the challenges were; now our challenge has become ‘how to share our knowledge,’ reflects the team.

What’s next

Interest in hiring trainees is growing across WCC. The model is now being explored in other areas, including early learning services, with potential to establish more opportunities for local young people, including those with disability, to start meaningful careers in local government.

With the first Customer Service trainee already three months in the role, the foundations are in place: a redesigned role and entry level pathway, informed managers, trained teams, committed leadership and strong community partnerships. Additionally, with support from SVA and partners a sustainable apprenticeships model was developed in 2024. Three apprentices were hired in 2024 across three roles in Parks & Natural Environment.

Key takeaways for employers