Apprenticeships and traineeships are open to people with disability, and a number of government-funded supports exist to help make it happen. None of them are automatic, so it helps to know they exist before you actually need one. Some are paid to your employer, some come through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and others come through Australia’s broader employment services system. Knowing what each one does makes it easier to bring up the right one with the right person at the right time.
Getting work-ready before you leave school
If you have an NDIS plan, School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) can help you build the skills and confidence you need before you start an apprenticeship or traineeship. It’s designed for students in their final year of school or who’ve recently left, and it can include things like work experience, learning to use public transport independently, and practising the everyday tasks a workplace expects. SLES is gradually being replaced by a newer NDIS support called Employment Assistance, so check with your NDIS planner or Local Area Coordinator about what’s currently available in your plan. If you don’t have an NDIS plan, this step doesn’t apply to you, and you can move straight to looking for a role.
Finding a role with the right support
Inclusive Employment Australia is a specialist employment service for people with disability, injury, or a health condition. It replaced the former Disability Employment Services program in November 2025, and it can help with things like resumes, job applications, connecting with employers, and work trials, including for apprenticeships and traineeships. You don’t need to be receiving a Centrelink payment to register, and once you’re in a role, the same provider can keep supporting you to stay in it.
Disability Australian Apprentice Wage Support (DAAWS)
DAAWS is a weekly payment made to the employer of an eligible apprentice with disability, rather than to the apprentice directly. It exists to encourage employers to take on apprentices with disability who can work in an ordinary workplace with the right support and training. Alongside the wage payment, DAAWS can fund:
- Tutorial support for your off-the-job training
- Mentoring throughout your apprenticeship or traineeship
- Interpreter support, including Auslan
To be eligible, you generally need to be enrolled in a Certificate II qualification or higher, and your disability needs to be formally assessed by a registered medical practitioner or psychologist, rather than a school counsellor. The assessment has to reflect your individual circumstances rather than being applied to a group. If you’re under 18, a parent or guardian is involved in that process. DAAWS isn’t limited to apprentices who have a disability from day one either. If you acquire one partway through your training, you may become eligible from that point onward. Once eligibility is confirmed, your employer applies for the payment, usually with help from your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider.
Workplace equipment and changes
The Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) is separate from DAAWS, and it covers the practical side of doing a job: equipment, assistive technology, physical changes to a workplace, and interpreting support. It can help fund things like:
- Building changes, like ramps & automatic doors
- Equipment & assistive technology, like screen readers or hearing loop systems
- Auslan interpreting for work tasks & job interviews
- Vehicle changes, where a vehicle is essential to the role
To be eligible, you generally need to be working, about to start work, or self-employed for at least 8 hours a week in a role expected to last 13 weeks or more. For larger funding requests, JobAccess arranges a free workplace assessment to work out exactly what’s needed before funding is approved.
How your pay can be set
Apprentices and trainees with disability are usually paid the same award wage as anyone else doing their qualification. The Supported Wage System (SWS) is a separate, optional arrangement that only applies where a disability affects how much work someone can complete in a set period of time. It isn’t automatic. Your employer would need to apply for it, and an accredited assessor compares how long you take on standard tasks against an expected benchmark. Your wage is then set as a percentage of the award rate to match. Every other part of your employment, like leave, superannuation, and other entitlements, stays the same as any other apprentice or trainee.
Where to start
You can’t begin an apprenticeship or traineeship without being connected to an Apprentice Connect Australia Provider, so that’s the first call worth making. They can point you toward DAAWS once you have an employer, and they work alongside JobAccess, who can talk you through the EAF and the SWS on 1800 464 800. If you have an NDIS plan, involve your planner or Local Area Coordinator early too, since SLES and Employment Assistance both work best when they’re set up before you start.
None of these supports are compulsory, and using one doesn’t mean you have to use them all. Which ones are relevant to you will depend on your disability, your qualification, and what your employer already has in place, so it’s fine to only look into the parts that apply to your situation.
If you’re weighing up an apprenticeship or traineeship, our apprenticeships and traineeships resources cover more on how they work and how to get started.
