A Parent's Guide to NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) and Youth Employment Assistance Funding
- Tash Read
- 2 days ago
- 8 min read
If your young person is approaching the end of high school and you're wondering what comes next, you've probably come across terms like SLES, Youth Employment Assistance, and DES.
It can feel overwhelming.
The good news is that there are supports available to help young people build confidence, independence, and employment-related skills as they transition out of school.
Key takeaways:
School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) are NDIS-funded supports designed to help eligible young people prepare for employment after school
SLES is usually focused on building skills, confidence, and work readiness rather than simply finding someone a job.
Supports may include work experience, communication skills, workplace confidence, executive functioning support, and independence skills.
Planning for life after school often works best when conversations start before Year 12.
There is no single "right" pathway after school. Employment, study, volunteering, apprenticeships, traineeships, supported employment, and gradual transitions can all be valid options.
Occupational therapy can help develop many of the underlying skills that support successful transitions into adulthood and employment.
Leaving School Can Bring a Lot of Questions
The final years of school can be exciting, emotional, stressful, and uncertain for both young people and their families.
Many parents find themselves asking:
What happens after Year 12?
Is my teenager ready for work?
What supports are available through the NDIS?
Should we be thinking about employment already?
What if my young person isn't ready for a job yet?
How do we apply for SLES funding?
If you've heard terms like School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) or Youth Employment Assistance and felt completely confused, you're certainly not alone.
This is one of the most common areas of uncertainty for families navigating the transition from school into adulthood. The systems can feel complicated, funding rules can change over time, and every young person's pathway looks different.
The good news is that transition planning does not need to mean rushing a teenager into adulthood before they're ready. Instead, it's about helping young people explore meaningful pathways that align with their strengths, interests, support needs, and goals.
What is NDIS School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) Funding?
School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) are NDIS-funded supports designed to help eligible young people build the skills, confidence, and experience needed to pursue employment after school.
You may also hear the term Youth Employment Assistance, which is increasingly used within the NDIS employment support framework.
The purpose of SLES is not simply to help someone get a job immediately. Instead, the focus is often on:
Building employment-related skills
Increasing independence
Exploring work preferences
Developing confidence
Identifying strengths and support needs
Preparing for future employment opportunities
Supporting a smoother transition from school into adult life
Think of SLES as a bridge between school and employment. For some young people, that bridge may be relatively short. For others, it may involve a gradual process of skill-building, exploration, and confidence development over time.
Who Can Access SLES Funding?
SLES is generally designed for NDIS participants who are:
In their final years of school
Approaching school leaving age
Recently left school
Interested in exploring future employment pathways
Likely to benefit from additional support to prepare for employment
Funding decisions are individualised and based on each participant's circumstances, goals, and support needs.
Not every young person will require SLES; some may move directly into:
Paid employment
Apprenticeships
Traineeships
TAFE
University
Volunteering
Family businesses
Self-employment
Others may benefit from additional support while building the skills and confidence needed for future employment. Neither pathway is better than the other.
What Can SLES Funding Actually Help With?
One of the biggest misconceptions about SLES is that it only involves resumes and job interviews.
In reality, many employment supports focus on the underlying skills that make employment participation more achievable and sustainable.
Supports should be individualised rather than delivered as a one-size-fits-all program. Depending on the person's goals and needs, SLES may support areas such as:
Employment skills
Resume preparation
Job searching
Interview preparation
Workplace communication
Understanding workplace expectations
Learning employee rights and responsibilities
Independence skills
Time management
Organisation
Planning skills
Money management
Personal administration
Self-advocacy
Community access skills
Using public transport
Navigating unfamiliar environments
Attending appointments independently
Social and communication skills
Teamwork
Workplace communication
Conflict resolution
Problem-solving
Professional interactions
Confidence and capacity building
Trying new environments
Building workplace confidence
Developing resilience
Learning from work experiences
Understanding personal strengths and preferences
Employment Readiness Is About More Than Finding a Job
This is where many families find an occupational therapy perspective helpful.
When people think about employment, they often think about:
Resumes
Interviews
Job applications
But for many young people, the biggest challenges occur before any of those things happen.
For example, a teenager may know exactly what type of work they would like to do. The challenge may actually be:
Getting up independently in the morning
Arriving on time
Managing anxiety
Remembering tasks
Coping with unexpected changes
Organising belongings
Communicating with supervisors
Navigating public transport
Managing sensory demands
Balancing work and wellbeing
These are all functional skills that can significantly impact employment participation.
For neurodivergent young people, barriers to employment are not usually about intelligence, motivation, or potential. They may instead relate to:
Executive functioning challenges
Sensory processing differences
Emotional regulation difficulties
Anxiety
Burnout
Fatigue
Social communication demands
Confidence following difficult school experiences
These challenges are real. They deserve understanding and support rather than judgement.
What Does "Trying and Testing" Mean?
A key concept often discussed within SLES is the idea of "trying and testing" different work environments. This can include opportunities to:
Explore different industries
Participate in work experience
Volunteer
Identify strengths and interests
Discover workplace preferences
Understand support needs
Learn what environments feel manageable and sustainable
For many young people, this exploration phase is incredibly valuable.
Employment is not simply about finding a job. It's about finding a role and environment where participation can be meaningful, sustainable, and supportive of wellbeing.
Sometimes discovering what doesn't work can be just as valuable as discovering what does.
My Teen Isn't Ready for Work Yet - What Then?
This is one of the most common concerns parents share.
The short answer? That's okay. Not every young person leaves school ready to move straight into employment.
Some may need additional time to develop:
Independence skills
Emotional regulation skills
Confidence
Communication skills
Community access skills
Self-advocacy skills
Others may choose pathways such as:
A neurodiversity-affirming approach recognises that successful transitions do not need to happen according to a fixed timeline.
The goal is not independence at all costs. The goal is meaningful participation, wellbeing, and sustainable outcomes.
Different young people need different levels of support, structure, flexibility, and exploration. That's completely normal.
When Should Families Start Thinking About SLES Funding?
Usually earlier than many people expect.
This doesn't mean your teenager needs to have their entire future mapped out in Year 8. However, the NDIS encourages conversations about employment, further education, independence, and post-school goals throughout the secondary school years.
Starting early can give families more time to:
Explore interests and strengths
Identify support needs
Build independence skills
Gain work experience
Discuss future goals with the NDIS
Gather supporting evidence if required
A simple timeline might look something like this:
Every young person's journey will look different.
The goal is not to pressure teenagers into making lifelong decisions early. Instead, it's about creating opportunities to explore possibilities over time.
How Do You Request SLES Funding?
If your young person is already an NDIS participant, employment goals generally need to be discussed during planning conversations or plan reassessments.
Families may wish to discuss
Future employment goals
Post-school aspirations
Transition planning
Barriers affecting employment participation
Supports that may help build capacity and independence
Helpful evidence may include
School transition plans
Work experience feedback
Therapist reports
Functional Capacity Assessments (FCAs)
Vocational assessments
Information about functional challenges affecting employment participation
Funding decisions are made individually by the NDIS and can change over time. For this reason, families should always seek current information from the NDIS, their Local Area Coordinator (LAC), planner, support coordinator, school, or relevant professionals.
What Evidence May Help Support an SLES Funding Request?
Many parents wonder: "What does the NDIS actually want to see?"
While there is no guaranteed formula, evidence is often strongest when it clearly explains:
The goal
What is the young person hoping to achieve? For example:
Part-time employment
Supported employment
Volunteering
Hospitality work
Retail work
Apprenticeships
Administration roles
The barriers
What is making that goal difficult right now? Examples might include:
Executive functioning challenges
Sensory processing differences
Anxiety around unfamiliar environments
Difficulty using public transport
Communication challenges
Emotional regulation difficulties
Limited independence skills
The supports required
What support may help bridge the gap between where the young person is now and where they want to be?
This is often where reports from schools, therapists, employment providers, and other professionals can contribute useful information.
SLES vs. DES: What's the Difference?
This is one of the most common sources of confusion. While both relate to employment, they serve different purposes.
SLES (School Leaver Employment Supports): | DES (Disability Employment Services): |
NDIS-funded support | Government-funded employment service |
Primarily focused on school leavers | Available to eligible people of working age |
Capacity building and preparation | Job seeking and employment support |
Helps develop readiness and confidence | Helps find and maintain employment |
Often involves skill-building and exploration | Focuses more directly on employment outcomes |
Some young people may eventually transition from SLES into DES. Others may move into study, volunteering, or traineeships.
There is no single "correct" pathway.
What Can Occupational Therapy Help With?
Occupational therapists can play an important role in supporting many of the functional skills that underpin successful transitions to employment and adulthood.
Depending on the young person's goals and needs, OT support may focus on:
Executive functioning
Planning and organisation
Time management
Task initiation
Remembering appointments
Managing routines
Prioritising tasks
Emotional regulation
Managing anxiety
Coping with change
Building confidence
Handling workplace stressors
Developing self-awareness
Community access
Public transport training
Community navigation
Attending appointments independently
Safety skills
Daily living skills
Personal organisation
Meal preparation
Money management
Self-care routines
Independence skills
Sensory processing
Identifying sensory needs
Workplace accommodations
Environmental modifications
Regulation strategies
Transition planning
Identifying strengths and support needs
Functional Capacity Assessments
Collaboration with schools and support teams
Supporting NDIS planning discussions where appropriate
For many young people, these foundational skills are just as important as job-specific skills when preparing for employment.
If you're unsure where to start or you'd like to learn more about how OT may support your young person, feel free to get in touch here:
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SLES guarantee my child a job?
No. SLES is generally designed to build skills, confidence, independence, and employment readiness. While employment may be an eventual goal, funding does not guarantee a specific employment outcome.
Can autistic young people access SLES?
Potentially, yes. Funding decisions are based on individual circumstances, goals, functional impacts, and NDIS criteria rather than diagnosis alone.
Can young people with ADHD access SLES?
Potentially. Some young people with ADHD may experience challenges with executive functioning, organisation, emotional regulation, time management, or employment participation that support planning discussions. Eligibility decisions are made individually.
Can my child use more than one SLES provider?
In some situations, families may choose to work with multiple providers if this aligns with their plan and goals.
Always check with the NDIS and relevant providers regarding funding arrangements and service agreements.
What if my young person wants to study instead of work?
That's completely valid.
Many young people pursue TAFE, university, traineeships, apprenticeships, volunteering, or mixed study-and-work pathways after school.
Employment is only one possible transition pathway.
Is Year 12 too late to start planning?
Not necessarily. However, earlier conversations often provide more opportunities to explore goals, gather evidence, and prepare for transitions.
NDIS Resources
Further Reading and Resources
Disclaimer
This article is intended as general information only and does not replace individual medical, therapeutic, educational, legal, financial, or professional advice. NDIS funding rules, eligibility criteria, pricing arrangements, and service systems may change over time. Families should seek advice relevant to their individual circumstances and confirm current information with the NDIS or other relevant organisations.