For many people, having a job means much more than earning an income. That’s why NDIS employment support Point Cook is so valuable for locals seeking meaningful work opportunities.

Work can provide independence, routine, confidence, new skills and opportunities to connect with other people. But a person living with disability may encounter barriers when preparing for work, finding the right job or maintaining employment.

The NDIS may fund disability-related employment supports for eligible participants where those supports meet the relevant funding requirements and are included in the participant’s plan.

Importantly, the National Disability Insurance Scheme updated its employment guidance on 28 July 2026, making this a useful time for participants and families to understand what assistance may be available. Current guidance says NDIS employment supports can potentially help participants develop workplace skills, find suitable work, receive support in a workplace and progress their careers.

For participants in Point Cook, Williams Landing, Altona Meadows, Laverton, Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Truganina and surrounding western Melbourne communities, the starting point is not necessarily finding a job vacancy.

It is understanding where you are in your employment journey and what you would like to achieve next.

Employment Goals Can Start Before You Are Ready for a Job

You do not have to know exactly what career you want before discussing employment.

Current NDIA guidance encourages participants to consider their individual stage of the employment journey. A participant may be:

• still at school and interested in work experience;
• transitioning from school into employment or further education;
• considering paid employment for the first time;
• already working and needing disability-related assistance;
• considering self-employment;
• wanting to change jobs; or
• hoping to progress their career.

For someone who has never worked before, a perfectly reasonable starting point may simply be:

“I want to explore what kind of work might suit me.”

Current NDIS goal-setting guidance even gives an example of a participant wanting to experience what work is like and understand what skills they would need.

Employment planning can therefore start with exploration rather than a predetermined job title.

What Employment Supports Can the NDIS Potentially Fund?

The NDIS may fund disability-related supports that help eligible participants overcome barriers associated with their disability.

Current NDIA guidance identifies several areas where employment support may potentially help.

Discovering your strengths

Some participants need help identifying what they are good at and what kinds of work might suit their abilities and interests.

Employment-related assessments may also help identify strengths, barriers and suitable employment goals.

This can be particularly valuable for someone who has had limited opportunities to experience different workplaces.

Building workplace skills

Knowing how to perform a particular task is only one part of employment.

Work can also involve learning how to:

• get to and from the workplace;
• communicate with colleagues;
• work within a team;
• understand workplace expectations;
• solve everyday problems;
• complete tasks;
• follow routines; and
• build confidence in a real workplace environment.

These are specifically identified in the NDIA’s current employment guidance as areas where eligible participants may receive disability-related support.

Finding suitable employment

Employment support may potentially help a participant identify and pursue work suited to their skills.

Current provider guidance also discusses customised employment approaches, including working with employers to shape a role that reflects a participant’s abilities while meeting an employer’s needs.

The goal should not simply be any job.

Where possible, the aim should be meaningful employment aligned with the person’s interests, abilities and goals.

What If You Already Have a Job?

NDIS employment support is not only for unemployed participants.

A person may already be working but require disability-related assistance to maintain employment or become more independent at work.

Current NDIA guidance identifies potential supports including:

• help completing workplace tasks until the participant can do them more independently;
• personal care at work;
• on-the-job coaching;
• training;
• mentoring; and
• assistance to employers to understand how best to support the participant.

Support can potentially be provided in different types of workplaces and may be individual or group-based depending on the participant’s circumstances.

The NDIA also confirms that Supports in Employment may be used across open employment, self-employment or supported employment settings where relevant funding is included in the participant’s plan.

Employment Support Should Build Independence Where Possible

As with other NDIS capacity-building supports, employment assistance should consider what the participant can learn to do more independently.

Imagine a participant from Point Cook who wants to work but finds unfamiliar public transport overwhelming.

Their employment journey might initially involve developing confidence travelling to a workplace.

Another participant might be comfortable travelling but need support understanding workplace communication.

Someone else may already have technical skills but require assistance establishing routines that help them arrive at work consistently.

Current NDIS guidance recognises these practical barriers, including transport skills, workplace communication and understanding employer expectations.

The right support will therefore look different for each participant.

Employment Goals Do Not Automatically Guarantee Funding

This is an important distinction.

Having an employment goal in your NDIS plan does not automatically mean the NDIA must fund every support associated with that goal.

Current NDIA goal-setting guidance explicitly says participant goals are not always directly linked to what the NDIS will fund.

NDIS funding remains focused on eligible disability-related supports.

Mainstream employment services, employers, education providers and other government programs also have responsibilities.

Understanding where NDIS support ends and another system’s responsibility begins can prevent confusion.

NDIS Employment Support vs Mainstream Employment Services

The NDIS is not Australia’s general employment service.

Current NDIA guidance says other employment programs may be appropriate where participants need limited ongoing support. It specifically refers to Inclusive Employment Australia and the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) among the employment supports available outside the NDIS.

The NDIS may fund disability-related employment assistance where a participant requires additional support beyond what mainstream programs provide.

Your my NDIS contact or Support Coordinator, where applicable, may help you understand and connect with appropriate services.

Think Beyond the Job Title

When setting an employment goal, participants can benefit from thinking about what work represents to them.

Ask yourself:

What am I good at?

What do I enjoy?

Would I prefer working indoors or outdoors?

Do I enjoy working with people or independently?

What barriers have stopped me working previously?

Would I like part-time or full-time work?

What support would help me succeed rather than simply get hired?

The NDIA’s current employment goal-setting guidance encourages participants to consider existing skills, interests, current work or volunteering experiences and the support they may need.

These conversations can create much more meaningful goals than simply writing “get a job”.

Work Experience Can Be Part of the Journey

Some participants may benefit from trying different work environments before deciding what suits them.

Current NDIA employment-provider guidance specifically identifies work experience as one way participants may build skills and explore employment.

This can help someone discover:

• which environments they enjoy;
• which tasks suit their strengths;
• what workplace support they require;
• what communication styles work best; and
• whether a particular career direction actually interests them.

Learning that a particular job doesn’t suit you can also be valuable.

Employment planning is about finding the right direction, not forcing a predetermined outcome.

Choosing an Employment Support Provider

If employment support funding is included in your plan, the NDIA recommends connecting with a provider who can help build skills and support you to find and keep work.

Before choosing one, ask practical questions.

How will they learn about your interests and strengths?

Will they help you explore different types of work?

How will progress towards your goals be measured?

What happens if your employment goal changes?

How will they work with an employer where appropriate?

Will the support build your independence?

Current NDIA provider guidance requires employment providers to develop a tailored support plan with participants receiving employment-support funding. This should cover goals, employment barriers, what support will be provided, where and how often it will occur, and how frequently progress will be reviewed.

For Families, Support Coordinators and Referral Partners

Families can be important sources of encouragement and practical knowledge, particularly for participants exploring employment for the first time.

But the participant’s own interests should remain central.

A family member may believe a particular occupation is ideal, while the participant may have completely different ambitions.

Support Coordinators can also help participants connect with appropriate providers and mainstream employment services where Support Coordination is included in their plan.

Referral conversations can be more useful when they explain the participant’s actual employment goal and disability-related barriers rather than simply stating “needs employment support”.

Employment Opportunities Across Melbourne’s West

Participants living in Point Cook are connected to a broad western Melbourne employment region encompassing areas such as Williams Landing, Laverton, Altona, Truganina, Werribee and Sunshine.

That can create opportunities across different industries and workplace environments.

However, local employment support should not mean restricting a participant to whatever opportunity happens to be nearby.

The focus should remain on the participant’s skills, interests, disability-related needs and employment aspirations.

Talk to BHA Disability Services

If you are an NDIS participant, family member, carer, Support Coordinator or referral partner in Point Cook or Melbourne’s western suburbs, BHA Disability Services welcomes enquiries about the disability services it provides.

If employment is one of the participant’s goals, it can be useful to consider how their broader disability supports contribute to independence, routines, community participation and the skills needed to pursue that goal.

Tell us about the participant’s goals, the support they are seeking and the relevant funding included in their NDIS plan. BHA Disability Services can then discuss its applicable services and whether they may be appropriate for the participant’s circumstances.

We will not assume that BHA provides a particular employment-specific service unless it forms part of BHA’s confirmed service offering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the NDIS help me find a job?

Potentially. Where appropriate employment support funding is included in a participant’s plan, the NDIS may fund disability-related assistance to build work skills, explore employment, find suitable work and maintain employment.

Can NDIS employment support help if I already have a job?

Yes, where relevant support is funded. Current NDIA guidance identifies on-the-job assistance, coaching, mentoring, personal care and support to build independence with workplace tasks among potential supports.

Can the NDIS help me learn how to travel to work?

Potentially. Current NDIS employment guidance specifically identifies learning how to get to and from work among the skills employment support may help eligible participants develop.

Do I need to know exactly what job I want?

No. Your employment goal may initially involve exploring your strengths, discovering what work suits you or experiencing work before deciding on a particular direction.

Does having an employment goal guarantee NDIS employment funding?

No. The NDIA explicitly states that goals are not always directly linked to what it will fund. Funding decisions still need to satisfy applicable NDIS requirements.

Is NDIS employment support the same as Inclusive Employment Australia?

No. Inclusive Employment Australia is a mainstream employment program. The NDIS may fund additional disability-related employment supports where eligible participants require more assistance than other employment programs can provide.

For the latest official information, see the NDIS Guide to Employment and NDIS guide to setting employment goals.