Find your thing.Then build a future around it.
A structured, four-stage NDIS pathway that takes you from “I don't know where to start” to employed, studying or volunteering in a role that actually fits — with support that doesn't disappear the moment you walk through the door.
Imagine a life where… you've found your place in the world.
Not just a job. A future. Not just a course enrolment. A direction. Whatever meaningful work looks like for you, this pathway exists to help you find it, get there, and stay.
- You have somewhere to be — a job, a course, a volunteer shift — that gives your week shape and purpose.
- You walk into work knowing what you're doing and feeling like you belong there.
- Your manager knows what you need, and your workplace actually works for you.
- You're earning money — even a little — that you earned yourself.
- You have something to talk about, grow in, and look forward to.
- Your family sees a different version of you — someone who has found their place.
- When things get hard at work, you have someone to call who helps you work it through.
- Month by month, you need a little less support — because you've built the skills to handle more.
From “no one had a plan” to “I've got a future”
Most employment support takes you to a job site and hopes for the best. This pathway is designed to move you — from career uncertainty to a role that genuinely fits, and the skills to keep it.
- ●You don't know what you're good at or what you actually want to do.
- ●You apply for jobs and never hear back — with no idea what's going wrong.
- ●Interviews make you anxious, and you fall apart when it counts.
- ●You got a job once but couldn't keep it — the fit was wrong.
- ●You left school and nothing happened. No one had a plan for what came next.
- ●Your NDIS plan has employment goals, but no one is working on them.
- ✓A clear direction — you know what energises you and what to aim for.
- ✓A resume, applications and interview skills that genuinely represent you.
- ✓You walk into interviews prepared, with your nerves under control.
- ✓A role that actually fits — right environment, right adjustments, right hours.
- ✓A school-leaver plan (SLES) that turns “what now?” into a real first step.
- ✓Every session moves an employment goal you can see measured, review by review.
Built for people who want to work
This pathway is for you if…
- ✓You want to work but don't know where to start.
- ✓You're a school leaver in your first two years post-school (SLES funding available).
- ✓You're returning to work after illness, hospitalisation or a big life change.
- ✓You want to study or retrain but feel overwhelmed by how.
- ✓You're autistic, or have psychosocial disability, and want structured employment support.
- ✓You got a job before but couldn't keep it — and want to understand why.
It may not be the right fit if…
- —You're in crisis and need acute clinical or mental-health support first.
- —Work or study isn't something you want right now — and that's okay.
- —You only want a job placed instantly, with no preparation or fit assessment.
If that's where you're at, that's completely okay — call us anyway. Our other pathways may be the better starting point, and we'll help you find the right one.
The real barriers between you and work
These are what participants tell us when they first come to us about employment. If any sound familiar, you're exactly who this pathway is for.
The gap between wanting to work and actually getting there is where most support falls short.
A support worker drives you to a job site but never helps you prepare. A plan lists employment goals that no one touches. And for school leavers, the clock is loudest of all — SLES funding lasts only two years post-school, and those years go fast. Every term that passes without a plan is opportunity that doesn't come back.
Wanting to work is not the hard part. Having a plan is.
Four stages. From “where do I start?” to thriving.
Some people move through all four in order. Others arrive at Stage 3 already. A few need to revisit a stage. All of that is normal — because building a future isn't linear.
Explore
Find what fits
Prepare
Build the foundations
Apply
Get in the door
Thrive
Stay, grow, build next
Find what fits
- Career interest mapping — what energises you, what drains you
- Strengths assessment — what you're genuinely good at that employers value
- Work tasters and site visits — experience real workplaces, zero pressure
- Volunteering and study options explored — TAFE, short courses, certificates
- School-leaver (SLES) planning across Year 1 and Year 2
Build the foundations
- Resume and cover letter that genuinely represent you
- Interview prep — mock interviews, disclosure conversations, managing nerves
- Travel training — learn the commute, practise the route, arrive confident
- Workplace communication and digital skills for employment
- Workplace disclosure planning — what to share, when, and how
Get in the door
- Active job search — finding openings that genuinely match your profile
- Application support — tailoring each resume and cover letter
- Employer liaison and interview attendance, where it helps
- Negotiating workplace adjustments — hours, environment, tasks
- DES coordination, and first-week planning
Stay, grow, and build what's next
- On-the-job support during early shifts, stepping back as you settle
- Genuine check-ins — “how is it actually going?”
- Problem-solving the hard days — someone to call when work goes wrong
- Growing into the role — more hours, new responsibilities
- Career planning, and a managed exit if a role ever stops working
School leaver? Start now.
School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) is a dedicated NDIS funding stream for the first two years after finishing school — built to bridge the gap between school and meaningful work or study.
The window is fixed at two years, and it goes fast. If your young person is in Year 11 or Year 12, SLES planning should begin now — before the next plan is finalised. We can help you understand exactly what to ask for at the planning meeting.
How the two SLES years work
- Year 1 — Exploration. Work tasters, volunteering, industry visits, strengths mapping and travel training. Goal: a clear direction by year's end.
- Year 2 — Preparation & first steps. Resume, interviews, applications, employer liaison and workplace adjustments. Goal: a first role or confirmed study pathway before SLES concludes.
- After SLES. Transition to ongoing “Finding and Keeping a Job” support — we don't disappear when SLES ends.
What your first 90 days can look like
This is an example of how the pathway typically unfolds — a composite, not a specific participant. Employment journeys take time, but momentum matters, and we design for visible progress early.
A direction, even a broad one
Your first session lands within five business days. We map your strengths and interests — what energises you, what you're genuinely good at — and draft your Future Readiness Plan. By the end of the week there's a direction, and a realistic first step.
One real workplace, experienced
You complete a first work taster or volunteering visit — a real workplace, no pressure to commit. Then you practise the travel route to a potential workplace until you can do it independently.
The foundations go in
Your resume is drafted and reviewed, you practise an interview, and you submit a first application. You begin attending a volunteer role or work taster regularly — building stamina and routine.
You can see what changed
An interview is completed and employer feedback received. At the 90-day review your scores are re-measured — Career Direction moved from a 1 to a 3, Employment Preparation from a 2 to a 4 — written, goal-referenced, and ready for your plan review or SLES reporting.
Illustrative only. The specific activities, timeframes and progress shown here are an example of how the pathway can work — not a guaranteed outcome. Your plan is built around your goals, your direction and your pace.
We don't just hope you're getting closer to work. We measure it.
Every participant is scored across six employment-readiness domains at the start, then re-scored at 30, 60 and 90 days. The gap between your first score and your next is the evidence of your progress — and it's what protects your funding at plan review and SLES reporting.
Career Direction
From “no idea” to a specific role, in a specific industry, that fits you.
Employment Preparation
Resume, interview readiness, disclosure strategy and workplace communication.
Travel Independence
Getting to a workplace or study location independently — from accompanied to solo.
Application Activity
Quality applications submitted, interviews attended, employer feedback received.
Employment / Study Status
Current role, volunteer hours or study enrolment — and how stable it is.
Workplace Confidence
Asking for help, managing hard days and communicating your needs at work.
Momentum, on purpose
Employment takes time — but momentum matters. So we deliberately design for early, visible progress that keeps you and your family moving forward.
A Future Readiness Plan drafted, strengths and interests mapped.
One real workplace experienced — a first work taster or volunteer visit.
A travel route to a workplace practised independently.
A resume drafted, one interview practised, one application submitted.
These are examples of the kind of early progress participants consistently experience when direction, preparation and support work together — not guaranteed outcomes.
Everything that makes it actually work
Most providers send a worker and an invoice. The pathway is a complete system — assessment, planning, consistency, measurement and reporting — built around you.
- ✓An Employment Readiness AssessmentYour honest starting point across six domains — a starting-point conversation, not a test.
- ✓A Future Readiness PlanYour direction, strengths, barriers and first steps in one living document — shared with your coordinator within three weeks.
- ✓Access to our Work Taster & Volunteering LibraryA curated network of real, disability-welcoming placements across Melbourne's east — we source and arrange them, not you.
- ✓Workplace Disclosure PlanningWorking through whether, what, when and how to disclose — your decision, always, with us helping you think it through.
- ✓The same support worker, throughoutRelationship continuity matters here — the same person from exploration to your first shift.
- ✓SLES Year 1 & Year 2 structured programsThe two-year window planned from Day 1 — not improvised month to month.
- ✓DES coordination handled for youIf you have a DES provider, we align with them — you don't have to manage two services.
- ✓Culturally responsive support for CALD communitiesCultural employment barriers addressed explicitly — Hindi, Punjabi and more, documented at intake.
- ✓30 / 60 / 90-day measured reviewsClear evidence of progress, suitable for plan reviews and SLES reporting.
- ✓Fortnightly written updatesSo your family and coordinator stay informed without ever chasing.
The risk is on us
Trying again after past disappointments takes courage. So these aren't vague reassurances — they're commitments in writing, several with a concrete consequence if we fall short.
The Right-Fit Guarantee
We don't place participants in roles that don't fit. A wrong placement isn't a success — it's a failure we own. If a role isn't right, we plan the next step before it falls apart.
The Fast-Start Guarantee
Your first session within five business days of referral readiness, and your Future Readiness Plan within three weeks.
The Communication Guarantee
Fortnightly written updates for the first three months, a reply within two business hours, and same-day notification of any job offer, job loss or welfare concern.
The SLES Timing Guarantee
For school leavers, your SLES Year 1 completion summary is delivered before Year 2 planning begins — so no funded time is ever lost to a missing handover.
We don't disappear on Day 1
Most support stops the moment you get the job — which is exactly when it's hardest. Ours continues through the staying. We step back as you settle, not the second you start.
The 30-Day Fit Promise
If within the first 30 days this pathway isn't the right fit, we co-manage your transition to support that is. You are never left without help.
“I built Anchor & Aim to be the provider I'd want for someone I love — small enough to know your name, serious enough to do the work properly. The guarantees on this page aren't marketing lines. They're the standard I hold every shift to — and if we ever fall short, I want to hear from you directly.”
The proof behind the promises
Director-led
You deal with a named director who answers the phone — not a call centre or a rotating account manager.
Every worker screened
Current NDIS Worker Screening clearance, plus our own reference and working-with-children checks.
Qualified team
Cert III/IV in Individual Support or Disability, with first aid, mental-health first aid and trauma-informed training.
RN-led clinical oversight
Nursing and high-intensity supports are registered-nurse-led, with clear clinical governance behind them.
Fully insured
Public liability, professional indemnity and workers compensation cover — all current.
Genuinely local
Ringwood-based, with real on-the-ground knowledge of Melbourne's east and south-east.
Multilingual, CALD-aware
Hindi, Punjabi and English spoken, with workers matched to your culture, faith and language where we can.
NDIS Practice Standards
We operate fully to the NDIS Practice Standards, with provider registration in progress. Plan-managed and self-managed participants welcome.
Want to verify any of this, or talk to us before you refer? Coordinators start here or call 0411 727 133.
Built for the whole picture
Finding your place in the world takes a team. This pathway is designed to work for everyone helping you get there.
Participants
- A role that genuinely fits — not just any job
- Someone to call when work gets hard
- Support that grows your confidence, then steps back
Families
- Especially school-leaver families — we help you plan SLES before school ends
- See them find their place, with someone to call when it's hard
- Stay informed without chasing anyone
Support Coordinators
- Full SLES capability and early planning support
- DES liaison managed by us — you don't coordinate both
- Plan-review-ready employment evidence and SLES reporting
Plan Managers
- Service agreement within 48 hours of approval
- Line items confirmed before the first invoice
- Clear mapping to Finding & Keeping a Job and SLES line items
How it's funded
The Employment & Future Readiness Pathway™ draws on several NDIS support categories — the exact mix depends on your plan. We confirm the applicable line items with your plan manager before any billing begins.
- Exploration, prep, job search & on-the-job support — CB: Finding and Keeping a Job
- School Leaver Employment Supports — CB: Finding and Keeping a Job (SLES)
- Travel training to work or study — CB: Increased Social & Community Participation
- Study & TAFE support — CB: Finding and Keeping a Job
- Volunteering as an employment pathway — Core: Social, Economic & Community Participation
- Life skills for employment readiness — CB: Improved Daily Living
Already have a DES provider?
We work alongside Disability Employment Services, not instead of them. DES covers job placement and employer liaison under a separate federal funding stream; our NDIS support covers the preparation, travel training, on-the-job capacity building and coaching DES doesn't fund. The two work together — and we coordinate with your DES provider directly.
Not sure what's in your plan? Call 0411 727 133 and we'll read through it with you.
Good to know
How long does the pathway take?
Typically 6–24 months, depending on where you're starting and your goals. For school leavers it's structured across the two post-school years of SLES funding. You move at your own pace — building a future isn't linear.
What NDIS funding do I need?
Most of the pathway draws on Capacity Building — Finding and Keeping a Job. Travel training uses Increased Social & Community Participation, volunteering uses Core Supports, employment-readiness life skills use Improved Daily Living, and school leavers use SLES line items. We confirm the applicable items before billing.
What is SLES, and when should we start?
School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) is a dedicated NDIS stream for the first two years after finishing school, designed to bridge school and meaningful work or study. The window is fixed and the years go fast, so planning should begin in Year 11 or Year 12 — we can help families work out what to ask for at the next plan meeting.
I already have a DES provider — can you still help?
Yes. We work alongside Disability Employment Services, not instead of them. DES covers job placement and employer liaison under a separate federal stream; our NDIS support covers the preparation, travel training, on-the-job capacity building and coaching DES doesn't fund. We coordinate with your DES provider directly.
Do you offer culturally responsive support?
Yes. We address cultural employment barriers — family expectations and workplace cultural dynamics — explicitly, and match workers to your culture, faith and language wherever possible, with Hindi and Punjabi-speaking workers among those available.
Where do you provide the pathway?
In the community, in your home, at the workplace, at your study institution, and online — across Melbourne's eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
Can my family or coordinator be involved?
Absolutely — with your consent, they receive progress updates and review reports, so everyone supporting you is on the same page.
Whatever work looks like for you, let's build the plan
You don't need to have it figured out before you call — most people who contact us don't. The first conversation is just about where you are now and what you'd like your working life to look like. From there, we build the pathway together.
School-leaver family? If your young person is finishing school and you're working out what comes next, please call — SLES planning needs to begin before school finishes, and we'll help you understand what to ask for at the next NDIS meeting. We get back to you within 2 business hours.