Preparing for the transition from school to work takes time, especially for young people with disability. The NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) program can bridge this gap, but only if it is planned into the NDIS plan and the right supports are in place early. Experts stress that families should “start thinking about and planning for life after school before the last year”. NextGen Youth Employment has developed this 12-month timeline to guide students, parents and carers through the key steps in the final school year. By following these recommendations, your family can ensure employment goals are set, evidence is gathered, and providers are chosen so the student enters SLES smoothly and confidently.

For example, the NDIS “Let’s Talk About Work” resource explicitly advises school leavers: “If you are leaving school, collect all your information before you finish school”. This article expands on that advice with a month-by-month checklist. We’ll also highlight how NextGen Youth Employment can help at each stage – whether it’s answering questions, providing an eligibility check or connecting you with local SLES providers.

12–9 Months Before Leaving School

• Discuss strengths, interests and industries. Sit down with your child and list their skills, hobbies and favourite subjects. Talk about what kinds of jobs or industries might suit them. Research online and in your community what careers exist in those areas. As NextGen emphasises, SLES is highly individualised – the journey should start by discovering the young person’s passions and talents. You might involve the school’s career counsellor or special education teacher to run interest inventories or work-skill assessments. Even informal tasks like volunteering or small part-time jobs during school can reveal strengths and preferences. The NDIS handbook calls this period “exploring employment goals”, which later helps target the right supports.

• Add employment to transition planning. Make sure ‘getting a job’ is explicitly written into your child’s school transition plan and NDIS plan. For example, Barkuma (an NDIS provider) advises parents to “include SLES [School Leaver Employment Supports] in your child’s goals” when reviewing their NDIS plan. During the Year 12 planning meeting with the NDIS, clearly state your child’s wish to work and ask for SLES funding under the “Finding and Keeping a Job” category. As NextGen notes, SLES is specifically funded only if there are employment goals in the plan and the participant is in their final school year. If your child’s NDIS plan doesn’t yet have an employment focus, request a plan reassessment now (see below). The goal is to have an NDIS budget that can be used for SLES support when they leave school.

• Talk to your LAC or planner early. If your child already has an NDIS plan, meet with the Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or NDIS planner in the next few months. Go through your child’s current supports and ask how they can support employment goals. You can mention SLES and the wish for your child to work. The NDIS Handbook stresses that “planning conversations should happen while a participant is still at school”, so that funding for transition planning can be included in the plan’s final months. In other words, this is not the time to wait – start the discussion now. If SLES isn’t in the plan and your child will finish school within a year, Barkuma suggests “request[ing] a plan reassessment” so the new plan can include SLES funding.

• Review the NDIS plan for existing supports. As part of planning, check what employment-related funding your child already has. Many plans include funds for capacity-building activities. These can sometimes be used to build job skills before SLES officially starts. For instance, families can use Core or Capacity Building budgets for part-time work trials, volunteer placements or travel training. If the current plan includes a “Finding and Keeping a Job” budget, ensure that it explicitly lists SLES or employment preparation supports. If not, use this meeting to explain why adding SLES is important. NextGen’s team can help you phrase these goals – for example, describing how tailored employment coaching will prepare your child for work.

• Start collecting information. Over the next few months, ask teachers and therapists for reports and assessments that highlight your child’s strengths and any support needs. Useful documents include recent school reports, career development plans, work experience evaluations, and vocational profiles. The NDIS guidance specifically lists items to bring to planning meetings: recent school and work-experience reports, a school career transition plan and any assessments (e.g. occupational therapy or vocational assessments). Keep these records together – the NDIS suggests “collect all your information before you finish school”. This documentation will make it easier to justify SLES funding later and will inform the SLES provider about how best to help your child.

Key takeaway: Start early. Engage your child in career conversations, add an employment goal to the NDIS plan, and meet your planner/LAC. Ensure all relevant school reports and assessments are ready. This lays the foundation for everything that follows, as the NDIA recommends proactive planning at least six months before school ends.

9–6 Months Before Leaving School

• Gather school and vocational information. Now’s the time to finalise any school documents you’ll need. Collect year 12 reports, NAPLAN or VCE results, any occupational therapy or psychological assessments, and the school’s transition plan for your child. If your child has done any volunteer or paid work (even a few hours a week), request performance feedback or references. Also consider creating a simple discovery profile or vocational summary that highlights what type of environment suits them (for example, calm work setting vs. busy environment). The NDIS’s “Let’s Talk About Work” booklet advises school leavers to “collect all your information before you finish school,” including a vocational profile and current job plan. This information will be invaluable at the NDIS planning meeting and when discussing programs with providers.

• Research SLES eligibility and funding. By now you should have a clear understanding of who is eligible for SLES and how it is funded. Generally, the student must be an NDIS participant in their final year of school (usually up to about age 22), with an employment goal in their plan. If your child fits this (final year of high school and disability-related NDIS access), then SLES is a reasonable and necessary support you can seek. (If your child hasn’t joined NDIS yet but has a disability, now would be a good time to apply, since SLES requires NDIS access.) Understand that SLES funding is provided as part of the NDIS “Finding and Keeping a Job” category, typically about $22,000 per year for up to two years. Whether this funding is brand-new or repurposed from existing funds, it is your plan’s job to cover the SLES supports.

• Compare SLES providers in your area. While continuing to gather documents, also start looking at potential SLES providers. The NDIS encourages families to meet several providers and choose the one that best matches the young person’s needs. You can search the NDIS Provider Finder or ask your LAC for recommendations. NextGen Youth Employment is one such provider – we specialise in SLES and focus on real work placements. Some providers offer free info sessions or open days; consider attending these with your child. Ask providers about how they deliver SLES: for example, do they do on-the-job training and travel training, or just classroom work? A good provider will personalise the program to your child. As NextGen advises, check if SLES is their core service or just a small part of what they do.

• Start asking providers about their services. Once you have narrowed down a few providers, contact them. You can already begin discussing what support they offer and how it aligns with your child’s goals. The NDIS booklet says: “You can start asking providers about the services they offer and choose one that helps you pursue your goals.”. Questions to consider include: What workplaces or industries do you connect with? How many days per week would be work experience? Can you accommodate my child’s disability? Will the same coach work with us throughout? You don’t have to make a final decision yet, but start forming impressions. Also check practicalities: providers near you, availability of part-time options, group vs. one-on-one support.

Key takeaway: Gather and verify information. Assemble all school records and medical reports. Make sure your child meets the SLES eligibility (final year and NDIS plan) and understand the funding available. Begin interviewing SLES providers about their programs and work experience opportunities. By now you should have a shortlist of one or two providers to meet in person.

6–3 Months Before Leaving School

• Meet shortlisted SLES providers. With a plan in place, it’s time to visit the providers you’ve been exploring. Arrange meetings (often an appointment or open day) for you, your child and (if helpful) a support coordinator or family member. Spend time asking detailed questions about their SLES program. For example: “How do you tailor the program to my child’s interests?” and “What kind of work trials or training do you arrange?” Good providers should involve the young person directly – asking about their interests and strengths – and then draft an individual career plan with them. NextGen, for instance, always pairs each participant with a youth coach and jointly develops a skills plan based on that young person’s goals. See if this is reflected in each provider’s approach.

• Discuss work experience and skill development. A key part of SLES is practical work exposure. Ask each provider what industries or workplaces your child might visit. Do they run on-the-job training, help with resumes and interviews, or offer social/communication skills workshops? The NDIA notes that SLES programs typically include things like workplace training, travel training and social skills coaching. Find out how the provider will schedule work trials or placements – for example, 1–2 days per week at a local business. Also ask how they measure progress (e.g. monthly goals, reports) as the NDIS expects progress to be tracked. At NextGen, our Youth Coaches integrate real work trials in sectors like retail or hospitality, and we regularly review the participant’s career plan.

• Prepare for the next NDIS planning meeting. If your child’s plan is up for review in this period (usually the last 6 months of school), now is when the planner will decide on funding for the next year. Use this time to finalize what you need: SLES funding, perhaps travel training or continued school transport, etc. Make sure to present all your collected evidence (reports, goals, portfolio) and mention the providers you’ve visited. Remind the planner that SLES funding can be included as a lump-sum budget under Finding and Keeping a Job. It can help to have your chosen provider (or at least two) send a brief outline of their service plan, so the planner sees the concrete supports to be funded. If the current plan lacks sufficient funds for SLES, emphasise why more support is needed. Remember, NDIS is meant to be flexible – the NDIA explicitly says participants have “choice and control” over how supports and providers are selected.

Key takeaway: Finalize support choices. In these months you will likely choose an SLES provider. Meet them, discuss placement options, and agree on a preliminary plan of supports (often formalized in a service agreement). Also ensure your child’s NDIS plan is being updated with the necessary funding. By the end of this period, you should have a clear picture of the supports your child will receive and who will deliver them.

Final 3 Months Before Leaving School

• Confirm funding and service agreement. With your chosen provider selected, sign the SLES service agreement. This written agreement will outline exactly what supports your child will get (number of hours, goals, schedules) and how much of the NDIS budget it will use. A service agreement is essential: the NDIS says the provider prepares it once a participant is chosen. Go over it carefully with your provider to ensure it matches your child’s needs and plan. At this stage, the planner should confirm the final NDIS plan – typically effective from July 1 – which should now include SLES funding (usually around $22k/year) if everything has been done right. If any funding issues remain, address them immediately – you don’t want the first weeks of school-leaver support to be stalled by paperwork.

• Meet the youth coach and set goals. Once the provider assignment is official, you and your child will meet the assigned youth coach (or employment coach) for the first time. This is when the participant’s detailed employment plan is put into action. The coach will ask more questions about strengths and interests (sometimes using a “discovery” process) and set initial short-term goals (e.g. complete a resume, practice interview skills, visit a work site). These goals often focus on confidence-building and practical skills. At NextGen, for example, coaches spend the first weeks assessing each participant’s learning style and adapting the plan accordingly. Work with the coach to establish realistic first-goals, such as attending an orientation workshop or trying a short work trial. Having clear early targets will help motivate your child and show quick progress.

• Plan transport and daily routines. Starting work or SLES often means changes in daily routine – new start times, commuting routes, etc. Plan this out now. Check public transport routes or arrange other commuting options. Many SLES participants benefit from travel training – learning how to independently use buses or trains. As NextGen explains, travel training “breaks the journey down into small, learnable steps: planning a route, using apps, practising the trip”. Developing a written “first-shift commute plan” can save a lot of anxiety (see NextGen’s travel checklist in their blog). Remember, Australian employers value punctuality highly – NextGen notes “reliability and punctuality are among the core qualities employers value” and travel training boosts those skills. Also establish other routines: confirm who will drop off/pick up, what to pack for lunch, and how to manage mornings. The more routine is rehearsed, the smoother the first week will be.

• Transition out of school. In the last weeks of school, meet with teachers and support staff to officially finalise the school exit plan. Ensure all equipment (e.g. hearing aids, mobility aids) is in good working order. If possible, have a “hand-over” meeting between your child’s school transition coordinator, the NDIS provider, and you to share information. Celebrate the achievement of finishing school – a positive mindset will help your child face the challenges of starting work. And keep the lines of communication open: schools and providers often collaborate to make sure nothing falls through the cracks during this critical change.

Key takeaway: Launch support and monitor progress. By the end of this period, your child should be enrolled with their SLES provider, have an approved NDIS plan with the right funding, and have met their coach. With a service agreement signed, the provider can immediately begin delivering supports (two days a week, for example). Confirm all arrangements and remember: you have the right to change providers later if needed. (Even after starting, the NDIS allows switching providers if the fit isn’t right.)

Why This Checklist Matters

Transitioning from school to work is a process, not an event. Many young people with disability thrive when given time and planning. Following an early timeline prevents a last-minute scramble for services. Official NDIS guidance and providers like NextGen stress the same theme: start planning well before December. In fact, the NDIS SLES handbook notes that SLES should be “delivered during the final years of school”. By acting 12–9 months out, families ensure they can secure support in the plan and build momentum.This checklist also helps maximise available funding. Since SLES is delivered as part of an NDIS plan’s Finding and Keeping a Job budget, any delay in planning can mean missed funding. By including employment goals in the plan early, you give the planner reason to allocate those funds. And by gathering strong evidence (reports, job plan, vocational profile), you make it easier for decision-makers to approve necessary supports.

Finally, involving your child throughout this journey is crucial. Empower them to own their goals – invite them to provider meetings if appropriate, or ask them what skills they want to learn. Engaging the student in these steps can boost their confidence and ensure they are committed to the process. Providers like NextGen see better outcomes when participants help set their goals, because the plan then truly reflects their interests.

How NextGen Youth Employment Can Help

NextGen Youth Employment is a specialist SLES provider – our entire service is built around school-leaver transition. We offer a free SLES Eligibility Checker and Checklist to guide families (available on our website). Throughout this timeline, NextGen can support you by:

• Answering eligibility questions: We can help confirm if your child meets SLES criteria (final year, NDIS participant) and advise on adding SLES to the plan.
• Guiding NDIS planning: Our staff know the latest SLES guidelines and can coach you on how to present employment goals in the plan.
• Providing information sessions: We regularly run free info sessions and one-on-one chats for families approaching school-leaving age.
• Tailoring the SLES program: Once engaged, we will pair your child with a dedicated youth coach and design a personalised employment plan based on their goals.
• Building work experience: We arrange real work placements in industries like retail, hospitality, admin and logistics (see success stories). This hands-on approach aligns with the NDIS’s emphasis on “work experience generally in open employment”.
• Developing life skills: We include travel training, communication workshops and other capacity-building activities. For example, our coaches create a custom “first-shift commute plan” so young people learn to use public transport safely.

At any point, feel free to contact our friendly team. We can clarify eligibility, help interpret your plan, or even liaise with your LAC. Our goal is to make this transition as smooth as possible. As our founder says, “we’re here to help young people with disabilities unlock their potential and achieve their goals.”

For more information or personalised assistance with SLES planning, please contact NextGen Youth Employment. Our team is ready to answer questions and help you and your child take the next steps. Download our free SLES checklist on our website or call us today – together, we’ll build the pathway to employment success.