Ticket to Work pilot outcomes study: a quasi-experimental evaluation of pathways from school to economic and social inclusion

This study aimed to measure the longer term employment, social participation and independence outcomes of young people who participated in Ticket to Work. The Ticket to Work initiative aims to improve economic and social participation for young people with disability through vocational/career development and early contact with work environments whilst at school. The initiative is delivered through a network including schools, post school providers and employers. At this stage, the key findings are: Ticket to Work participants indicated higher levels of social participation, quality of life and wellbeing than the comparison group; of the total Ticket to Work participants, 86 per cent are employed compared with 21 per cent in the comparison group; all Ticket to Work participants had completed Year 12 compared with just over 50 per cent in the comparison group; 100 per cent of Ticket to Work participants had gained further education qualifications compared with 36 per cent of the comparison group; Ticket to Work participants were on award or above award rates of pay equivalent to their colleagues without disability; of those in employment, 42 per cent of those in the comparison group were in full time employment compared with just 17 per cent of Ticket to Work participants; of those in employment, on average, the comparison group spent 14 months unemployed after completing full time education compared with just 2 months for Ticket to Work participants; the majority, 71 per cent of Ticket to Work participants, felt that their level of independence was 'just right' compared with 32 per cent of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.

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