Employment Services
AQ delivers bespoke programs supporting the provision of specialist employment for autistic and other neurodivergent adults seeking work and working with businesses to successfully employ and retain autistic people.
Whilst we also work with organisations to support their autistic employees, individual autistic adults seeking support through our bespoke programs should be 18 years or older, looking for work (or interested in discovering what work might look for them), and keen to receive tailored support to find and maintain work.
Autism EmployABLE
Autism EmployABLE 3 (AE3) is the third phase of our participant led, autism-specific employment access program for adults to explore, navigate and sustain work.
Unique autism-specific features of this program include the use of a range of evidence-based practices to assist autistic individuals gain and maintain meaningful employment, and to enable businesses to successfully employ autistic people.
- We work with autistic individuals, supporting them into appropriate, sustainable employment.
- We work with businesses to raise autism awareness, build knowledge and understanding regarding the benefits of employing autistic people. We support them to become self-sufficient in making autism-specific accommodations and to create more appropriate job opportunities that benefit both their organisation and our participants.
The long-term outcomes of Autism EmployABLE are:
- More people in the community working alongside autistic employees, leading to increased workplace acceptance and understanding of autism.
- Acknowledgement and utilisation of the huge resource and talent that autistic individuals can bring to an organisation.
- Truly inclusive and diverse workforces that represent the people that they serve.
Autism EmployABLE is funded by the Department of Social Services. For more information visit www.dss.gov.au.
EmployABLE for Participants
Autism-specific bespoke participant-led support for adults aged 18-30* years.
Professional staff with autism expertise support autistic adults to discover their interests, marketable strengths and skills in relation to working in an open employment environment. We get to know each participant, create employment goals using our own goal setting tool and focus on work-related skill development such as social-communication, disclosure of diagnosis, self-advocacy and workplace expectations.
- A diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Aged between 18 -30 years*
- Motivation to work and be looking for a minimum of eight hours paid employment in an open employment market.
- The right to work in Australia.
(*some exceptions can be made. Please contact us for further information.)
EmployABLE for Businesses/Employers
Autism EmployABLE engages with businesses to:
- Create bespoke employment solutions that meet business needs.
- Develop awareness of autism and the benefits of employing an autistic individual by creating mutually beneficial relationships.
- Develop capacity within the business to successfully employ an autistic individual.
- Support businesses in harnessing an individual’s strengths and understanding the ways in which the business can accommodate for possible challenges where appropriate.
- Autism-specific role and workplace audits to identify the suitability of a role and the working environment for each participant.
- On-the-job autism-specific coaching for autistic employees, their co-workers and managers to facilitate a productive and inclusive working environment.
This video about former EmployABLE participant Michael, was produced by the Queensland Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT) and shared with the community in August 2022.
EmployREADY
EmployREADY supports autistic adults to realise their NDIS employment goals*.
Through one-on-one engagement with the person seeking work, we build and foster their individual’s strengths and interests.
Using AQ’s Adolescent/Adult Goal Setting Tool, the individual determines the areas of support they would like to focus on in order to achieve successful and meaningful employment. While this will include mainstream job searching skills, other goals may include:
- Understanding my diagnosis
- Social communication in the workplace
- Dealing with conflict, and
- Self-advocacy.
Participants, depending on their skills and interests, work towards understanding tasks and job roles and exposure to work types/environments through engagement with local businesses, ultimately finding suitable and sustainable roles they will thrive in.
Additionally, AQ was supported by the Queensland Government’s Workforce Connect Fund for the Neurodiversity Works (NDWorks) program. NDWorks was a bespoke program that ended in 2025, and aimed to support, educate and build employer confidence to successfully hire neurodivergent adults and retain those already working with them. Our specialists supported employers across Queensland by offering free, tailored advice and training. Through NDWorks, we:
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Helped employers assess their readiness to support neurodivergent staff.
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Delivered autism and neurodiversity training for teams.
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Matched businesses with the right candidates.
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Reviewed and improved recruitment and onboarding practices.
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Supported the growth of neurodiversity champions within businesses.
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Provided on-the-job support for neurodivergent employees.
Whilst the program is no longer offered, the service has put together a legacy piece with resources for employers to continue using into the future and support autistic and neurodivergent employees. Stay tuned for a link to the legacy piece toolkit, launching late 2025.
