Harnessing the Passions and Talents of Entrepreneurs

Project Lead: Settlement Services International

UTS Lead: Prof Simon Darcy, UTS Business School

Duration:  2021 - 2022 

The IgniteAbility EDUCATE (IAE) program will be delivered in five Settlement Services International locations across the Eastern Seaboard, over 12-months. The program will leverage the Ignite EDUCATE program utilising our highly successful remote and online delivery formats to work with young people with disability and those from CALD backgrounds. IgniteAbility EDUCATE (IAE) and IgniteAbility (IA) small business startup program will assist people with disability to have improved job readiness, employment related skills and knowledge, and increased access to employer groups and employment support networks.  

IAE will be adapted, co-designed, co-facilitated and co-delivered by people with disability and successful entrepreneurs graduated from the IgniteAbility program, ensuring accessibility. Following attendance, participants committed to establishing a small business, will be referred the IgniteAbility program where specialist IgniteAbility facilitators provide tailored support to address barriers, build skills and knowledge and guide entrepreneurs through the 3 steps to business startup. 

The UTS team will provide support for the expansion of these services by conducting an independent review and evaluation to ensure sustainability of the ongoing program. 

What impact will we create?

The foundational Ignite EDUCATE course teaches the fundamental skills of entrepreneurship, building the capacity of people with disability to engage and participate in the economy with agency and independence. IAE will also create employment opportunities by directly employing young and CALD people with disability to support the co-design and adaptation of the Ignite EDUCATE course and supporting resources, tailoring to both need and accessibility. Alongside UTS specialist program evaluators with lived experience, people with disability will also co-design and participate in the project evaluation.

Through SSI’s DES and LAC services, Youth Collective and existing partnerships, IAE has established internal referral pathways plus an extensive referral network across the five target locations. IAE will engage across these communities and networks to offer the IAE service and support to entrepreneurial people with disability seeking capacity uplift and specialist business support. 

The program has proven successful in an online delivery format, including a tailored COVID response to current business challenges, and thus can reach people with disability in a range of circumstances and locations. Client participation has increased by around 50% since facilitation sessions have been conducted online. Due to this success, it is intended to continue to offer remote sessions on an ongoing basis, meaning IAE will be available to people with disability across Australia. 

Research Design 

UTS will work with IAE and people with disability (previous & new participants) to design and implement the evaluation activities in line with the outcomes framework. To monitor and evaluate outcomes data will be identified and collected through interviews, onboarding and interim surveys, exit surveys, as well as follow up surveys up to 12 months post project.

The program of evaluation will consider outcomes including: 

• Increase in the number of PWD establishing small businesses – with focus on CALD and youth cohorts 
• Increase in the number of PWD reporting increased knowledge and understanding of how to establish a business 
• Reported increase in skills and confidence of PWD to access employment 

Who will we work with?

• Settlement Services International (SSI) 
• People with disability
• Professor Simon Darcy, UTS Business School
• Professor Bronwen Dalton, UTS Business School
• Rachael Bertram, UTS Business School 

Funding Support

• Department of Social Services; Innovation, Linkage and Capacity Grant
• National Disability Insurance Agency 

Network Research Themes

• Inclusion and Social Participation
• Social Justice, Diversity and Equity