School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) are NDIS-funded supports designed to help young people with disability transition from school to work. In Australia, the SLES program provides tailored skill-building, mentoring and work experience so that school leavers can become “employment ready” and secure meaningful jobs. In this article we explain who is eligible for SLES, what age group it covers, and what families should prepare before asking to include SLES in an NDIS plan. We also explain how Next Gen Youth Employment – a specialist NDIS SLES provider – can guide you through the process and answer your questions about SLES support and funding.

At Next Gen Youth Employment, we specialise in SLES. Our coaches work one-on-one and in groups to build confidence, social and workplace skills, and to provide hands-on job experience. We know SLES inside-out – from eligibility rules to the NDIS planning process – and we help families and support coordinators ensure SLES is included in the NDIS plan when it’s needed. Read on to learn the key facts about SLES eligibility and funding, and how to be ready for your NDIS planning meeting.

What is SLES and How Does it Help School Leavers?

School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) is an NDIS capacity-building support specifically for young people leaving secondary school. The program is funded by the NDIS to “build skills, boost confidence, and increase employability” of school leavers. In practice, SLES involves one-on-one career coaching, practical work skills training, group workshops, and supervised work experience placements in local businesses. The goal is to give each participant clear pathways into open employment (and often into further support through Disability Employment Services if needed).

Unlike general youth services, SLES is only available to NDIS participants and is tailored to an individual’s needs. It’s not a job guarantee, but a program to prepare school leavers for paid work. The supports can include things like resume writing, interview practice, travel training, money management, and confidence-building activities – all aimed at helping the young person “find and keep a job”. By working with a specialist provider (like Next Gen Youth Employment), participants get personalised guidance as they explore different careers, try out real workplaces, and build a bridge from school to work. SLES supports are fully funded by the NDIS for eligible families, so there is no cost of entry for those who meet the criteria.

Who is Eligible for NDIS SLES?

Not every school leaver can access SLES – there are specific eligibility criteria to meet. In general, to qualify for NDIS SLES you must be a school leaver (or in the final year of school) who has an approved NDIS plan and a disability that requires extra support to find work. The key eligibility points are:

• Age and school status: You should be in your final year of secondary school or have recently left school. Most SLES participants are between 16 and 22 years old (although the exact age limit can vary by state). Official guidelines say SLES is for Year 12 students and recent leavers, generally up to age 22. (In practice, NDIS plans often cover support for up to two years after leaving school.)
• NDIS Participant with employment goals: You must already be an NDIS participant with an approved plan. The plan needs to include funding for employment-related supports. In other words, when you talked to your planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC), there should be goals or line items in your plan about finding work, preparing for work, or getting job skills. For example, the plan might have goals like “improve communication skills for work” or “build resume and work experience”. Having clear employment goals in the NDIS plan is crucial for SLES to be considered a reasonable and necessary support.
• Disability impacting work: You need to have a permanent disability (physical, intellectual, autism, etc.) that affects your ability to find or keep a job without extra assistance. SLES is intended for school leavers who have “work capacity but need some more support” before they can go into open employment. In other words, if you can work but need structured training and a supportive environment to develop work skills, SLES is designed for you. It’s not for people who are not aiming for work at all, nor is it for those already fully prepared to job-search on their own (those would look at Disability Employment Services instead).

To summarise, eligible SLES participants are typically young Australians who have just finished (or nearly finished) high school, are NDIS participants, and have employment goals in their NDIS plan. For example, one provider explains: “SLES are available to young people with a disability aged 16 to 22 who are in their final year of school or have left within the past two years. To access SLES, the participant must have an NDIS plan that includes funding under the ‘Finding and Keeping a Job’ category”. In plain terms, if your child is still in school or just out of school, has an NDIS plan, and wants to work, they are likely a candidate for SLES supports.

Here are the main SLES eligibility criteria in bullet form for clarity:

• Leaving or left school: In your final year of secondary school (usually Year 12) or have left school within the last year or two. The NDIS generally considers supports for students up to around age 22 in this context.
• NDIS Plan with employment focus: An approved NDIS plan that includes funding for employment-related goals or programs. (SLES falls under the “Finding and Keeping a Job” category in the plan, so the plan must reflect an aim to build work skills or gain employment.)
• Disability and support needs: A significant disability that affects your ability to prepare for or enter the workforce. SLES is for those who need “tailored, capacity-building supports” to learn work skills.
• Work readiness: You should have the desire and capacity to work with support. SLES is meant to help people become “employment ready,” not to provide sheltered work. (If someone has a disability but is already immediately job-ready, they might use DES instead.)

If you tick these boxes – school leaver, in an NDIS plan with employment goals, and needing work-preparation support – then your child is eligible for SLES funding. Next Gen Youth Employment can help families check this: simply contact us and we can review your situation with you and explain the NDIS SLES criteria in plain language.

Including SLES in Your NDIS Plan (Employment Goals and Funding)

Having established who SLES is for, the next step is knowing how to get SLES in your NDIS plan. SLES supports must be written into the NDIS plan by your planner or Local Area Coordinator (LAC); they won’t appear automatically. Here’s what families should know:

• Discuss it in planning meetings: You should bring up the idea of SLES in your next planning conversation, ideally while still at school or soon after leaving. Tell the planner or LAC that your goal is to find or prepare for work, and ask about SLES specifically. If the plan doesn’t already list SLES or similar programs, you can request that “Finding and Keeping a Job” supports be included. It’s best to have this discussion in the final school year, so that transition supports can start before leaving school.

• Employment goals on the plan: To justify SLES funding, your child’s NDIS plan should include goals or line items related to work. For example: “Build employability skills and gain work experience towards paid employment.” This signals to the NDIA that SLES is reasonable and necessary. (As noted above, one provider summary emphasises “having an NDIS plan that outlines goals related to employment”.) If needed, your support coordinator or LAC can assist in drafting these goals.

• Finding and Keeping a Job category: In technical terms, SLES is funded under the NDIS capacity-building category called “Finding and Keeping a Job.” It has a specific line item code (10_021_0102_5_3). This means any funding for SLES will come from your plan’s Finding and Keeping a Job budget. It also means that if a planner approves a Finding and Keeping a Job budget, SLES can be one of the supports provided. (In other words, SLES is not under Core Supports; it must come from the employment support portion of the plan.)

• Annual block funding: Importantly, SLES is funded as an annualised block. This means the NDIS allocates a lump sum (usually around $22,000 per year), rather than paying per hour. The upshot is that families don’t worry about “out-of-pocket costs” or hourly rates – the SLES funding in the plan covers all the supports you agree on with the provider. For example, NDIS providers note that SLES “is not price-controlled. Instead, it is funded through an annual block payment, usually around $22,000 per year,” offering flexibility on the supports delivered. Because of this model, you can often work with multiple providers or try different programs as long as the outcomes fit your plan goals.

• Duration of funding: Once included, SLES funding is typically available for up to 2 years after finishing school. This is meant to give participants enough time to prepare for work. The exact length and funding amount may vary by individual needs, but in general it covers the critical early period post-school. The NDIS Provider Handbook notes that SLES is available to participants in their final year of school and those who have recently left school, and allows supports to continue as needed during that transition.

In summary, to get SLES funding in your plan you must (1) ensure the plan includes an employment goal, (2) ask your planner or LAC about SLES while still at school, and (3) make sure the plan has a Finding and Keeping a Job budget. If approved, the NDIS will allocate the SLES funding in a block, covering a tailored support program. As one guide puts it: “To access SLES, the participant must have an NDIS Plan that includes funding under the Finding and Keeping a Job category”. The good news is that this funding is entirely covered by NDIS, so eligible families pay nothing extra for the SLES supports.

Key points about SLES funding and planning:

• Talk to your Local Area Coordinator (LAC) or support coordinator early – ideally before your child leaves school – to include SLES in the plan.
• Make sure the plan has clear work-related goals; SLES is granted only when a work goal is part of the NDIS plan.
• Remember that SLES falls under the Finding and Keeping a Job category, with block funding (typically ~$22K/year) and up to 2 years of support.
• Unlike mainstream job programs, the NDIS covers SLES completely, so there’s no “SLES price” to pay. (The funding is an annual grant, not charged by the hour.)

If at any point you need help with these planning steps, Next Gen Youth Employment can assist. We have experience briefing NDIS planners and helping families articulate employment goals and necessary evidence (see below) to include SLES funding.

Gathering Evidence and Documentation for SLES

NDIS planners base their decisions on the information provided during planning meetings. To support an SLES request, families should gather evidence that the young person has the capacity and interest in working, and needs structured support to get there. Useful evidence includes:

• “Let’s Talk About Work” workbook: The NDIS provides a planning workbook for school leavers called Let’s Talk About Work. Completing this workbook (with your child) gives planners insight into their interests, skills, and work goals. It’s one of the first items planners look for when considering SLES.

• School reports: Recent school progress reports, especially those commenting on career goals or work-related skills, can show how your child is preparing for life after school. For example, a careers class report or teacher comments on employment goals can help justify SLES. The provider handbook explicitly lists “recent school reports” as evidence to assist planning.

• Work experience or volunteer reports: If your child has done work experience placements, volunteering, or part-time work, collect any written reports or feedback from employers or supervisors. Even a letter or email from a workplace outlining how the student performed and what skills they developed can be strong evidence. The handbook mentions “work experience reports” and “references from part-time or volunteering activities” as useful documents.

• Career transition plan or vocational profile: Many schools develop Individual Transition Plans or career plans for students with disabilities. Sharing these with your planner can highlight the agreed goals and necessary supports. Similarly, if a vocational profile has been prepared by a teacher or support person, include it; it may outline the student’s interests and work-related capabilities.

• Professional assessments: Any formal assessments by allied health professionals can help. For example, a Functional Capacity Assessment by an occupational therapist (showing what the student can and cannot do) or a Vocational Interests Report from a counsellor are strong evidence. These show the young person’s strengths and challenges related to work.

• Other relevant documentation: You can also include evidence of need for supports (e.g. how disability affects daily tasks), or anything showing commitment to employment (like emails about job searches, or outlines of past work trial experiences).

All this documentation “helps the planner to identify the nature of supports… and enables a participant to achieve their employment goals”. In short, showing that your child has given thought to work and has some related experience helps the NDIS decide that SLES is necessary. During the planning meeting, mention that you have these reports and discuss how SLES will build on them.

Preparation checklist: Before meeting your NDIS planner or LAC, gather copies of: the Let’s Talk About Work workbook, recent school reports and awards, any letters from employers or volunteer supervisors, your child’s career planning documents, and any assessments from therapists. We recommend arranging these in a simple portfolio or file. When you meet, you can say: “We’ve prepared a School Leaver Portfolio with all these documents to show X’s readiness and need for SLES.” The more information the planner has, the easier it is to justify the supports.

Understanding SLES Funding: Block Payments Not Hourly Prices

A common question is, “How much does SLES cost, and will I have to pay anything?” The short answer is that NDIS covers the full cost, and there is no hourly “SLES price” charged to families. Here’s why:

• Annualised funding: As noted above, SLES uses an annualised funding model. The NDIA typically allocates around $20–25K per year (depending on individual needs) for each participant. This is treated as a block grant for the year. Because of this, providers aren’t billing hourly or daily rates to families – the NDIS has already paid for the support hours up front. In fact, the NDIS Price Guide explicitly states that SLES is “not price-controlled” and uses this flexible payment method.

• No out-of-pocket costs: Since it’s NDIS-funded, families don’t pay SLES fees. You won’t see a line item for “SLES price per hour” on your statement. Instead, your NDIS plan will list a budget line (as part of Finding and Keeping a Job) from which the provider invoices. All qualified SLES supports come out of that plan allocation.

• Up to 2 years coverage: SLES funding can be allocated for up to two years after school. This means you can potentially get up to 2 annual blocks of SLES funding, helping the participant become truly employment-ready. (In practice, plans often review annually to adjust funding based on progress.)

• Flexibility: Because it’s a block, participants can split their SLES funding across different kinds of services or multiple providers if needed. For example, one participant might do group skills training at one centre and one-on-one coaching at another; the funding model accommodates that.

In summary, the SLES “price” is effectively the NDIS funding itself – there is no separate out-of-pocket price guide rate for you to pay. Providers (including Next Gen Youth Employment) will help manage the budget so that the young person gets as much support as needed without exceeding the plan’s allocation. Our team can also help you understand the yearly budget amount and what it can cover.

Finding SLES Support and Providers (Including Next Gen)

Once SLES funding is in place, the next step is to engage a registered SLES provider. An NDIS-registered provider will deliver the SLES supports agreed in the plan. Families often search online for “SLES providers near me” or “NDIS SLES providers”. The NDIS website has a searchable provider directory where you can filter for School Leaver Employment Supports. Asking your school, support coordinator, or LAC for recommendations can also help.

Next Gen Youth Employment is a registered SLES provider. We specialise in youth employment programs and have helped many young people with disabilities across Australia. Our SLES program covers everything from career planning and employer engagement to building job-specific skills. You can read about our SLES program and approach on our website.

When choosing a provider, consider these questions (we’re happy to discuss these with you): Does the provider offer one-on-one coaching and group sessions? Do they have connections with local employers for real work experience? Will they help write and review your Employment Action Plan? Good providers (like Next Gen) tailor the program to each participant. We believe in “learning by doing” – our participants routinely engage in short work trials in actual businesses (with mentor support) to help them find their best career fit.

If you’re specifically looking for “SLES providers near me,” we encourage you to contact Next Gen. Our team is used to answering queries from families about SLES eligibility, planning, and services. We can offer an initial no-obligation chat: we’ll listen to your child’s goals, review what’s in the plan, and advise on whether SLES is a good match. If it is, we’ll help set up a service agreement and get started with support as soon as possible.

In addition to SLES, we can also connect participants with other employment resources under the NDIS (such as Disability Employment Services) if and when they are ready for that step. Our goal is to ensure every young person transitions smoothly from school into the workforce.

How Next Gen Youth Employment Can Help

Next Gen Youth Employment exists to empower young people with disability to succeed in work. We understand the SLES eligibility rules and the NDIS planning process. Here’s how we can support you:

• Eligibility check: We can help you confirm if your child meets the SLES criteria and advise on how to present it to the NDIS. If your NDIS plan is being developed or reviewed, we can provide information to your planner or LAC about including SLES funding.
• Documentation support: We can guide you on what evidence to gather (as above) and even assist with completing the Let’s Talk About Work workbook if needed. Our experience is that being well-prepared for a planning meeting greatly increases the chances of SLES being approved.
• Tailored SLES program: Once funding is in place, our skilled coaches will work with the participant on a custom program. We mix classroom learning (communication, time management, etc.) with on-the-job experiences. Our training matches the young person’s interests – for example, we have strong retail, hospitality, office administration and trades/workshops streams.
• Ongoing support: We don’t just do a one-off course. During SLES we track progress against goals, communicate regularly with families, and adjust the plan as needed. When the time comes to move on, we help connect the participant with Disability Employment Services (DES) or directly to employers, ensuring continuity of support.

Throughout everything, we emphasise your family’s voice. We will keep you informed about the work we’re doing, the participant’s achievements, and the next steps in their employment journey. Our aim is to make the planning and support process as transparent and effective as possible.

If you have questions about any of this – whether it’s clarifying “what is SLES NDIS” support or “what is SLES funding” – please reach out. We can explain the SLES guidelines and eligibility in plain English and help you navigate the NDIS system.

Getting Started with SLES: Contact Next Gen Youth Employment

Understanding SLES eligibility and funding can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Next Gen Youth Employment is here to help school leavers and their families every step of the way. If you believe SLES could benefit your child, contact us today. We will:

• Discuss your child’s situation and answer any questions about SLES support.
• Review your current NDIS plan to see what’s included and what’s needed.
• Help you prepare for your next planning meeting (including paperwork checklists).
• Provide an obligation-free consultation on our SLES program and how it might fit.

Get in touch via our website or call us (0399 683 021). We look forward to hearing your story and exploring how our NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports can make a positive difference.

Next Gen Youth Employment – helping young Australians with disability build confidence, skills and real work experience after school. Let’s work together to make the transition from school to employment a success for your family.