At Ability Action Australia, we’ve introduced a new and improved national onboarding program that’s already delivering benefits to our new starters and NDIS participants.
‘Ready for Action’ is a highly structured, six-week package of learning and development activities designed to support our new therapists across Australia and set them up for long-term success.
What does Ready for Action involve?
The program is designed to make sure our new starters have the training, resources and support they need to best assist our participants to get more out of life today.
New starters take part as a group, spending their first week being introduced to the organisation and learning about the key functions of the business through a variety of presentations.
Topics include:
- Welcome from our General Manager, Alison McIlveen
- Understanding the National Disability Insurance Scheme
- Organisational background
- Overview of service delivery
- Clinical services and supervision frameworks
- Expectations about roles and performance
- Stakeholder relationships
After engaging and connecting with Ability Action Australia in the first week, the next five weeks are dedicated to giving new starters the knowledge, tools and resources to deliver consistent quality services.
This involves a mix of online and face-to-face workshops, in-person assessments, and therapy sessions, and learning and development activities that focus on clinical service delivery to enable new starters to confidently undertake standardised assessments.
They also listen to presentations on specific clinical topics (i.e. home modifications) aimed at consolidating their skills and preparing them to provide quality services to our participants.
What are the benefits?
Our Organisational Excellence and Efficiency Manager, Alana Levin, is responsible for the successful development and rollout of Ready for Action.
She says new starters are able to take part in their induction with a group of other new starters at the same time, which makes the experience more enjoyable and builds relationships.
“One person described it as ‘an incredibly positive first week’. Our therapists appreciate the supportive and friendly culture, how helpful everyone is, and how organised the Ready for Action program is,” she says.
“They welcome the time given to settle in, meet the team and become familiar with Ability Action Australia, as well as the thorough explanation of service delivery processes, and the clear expectations of new therapists.”
Every new starter receives a comprehensive employee pack which includes a Ready for Action Handbook, easy access to a range of interactive online learning resources, and a clear outline of what to expect day-to-day.
Alana anticipates the program will increase already high engagement levels.
“New starters are loving the content, including the different processes and procedures, the participant journey, available resources, and outline of the NDIS,” she says.
“We make new starters feel connected to the organisation on day one and make them feel like they belong.
“Our employees have quickly developed a good understanding and knowledge of processes and procedures, and value having questions or concerns addressed early on. Just as the name suggests, it’s all about getting them ready for action – for Ability Action Australia.”
Interested in a career as an Occupational Therapist? Looking for an Exercise Physiologist job? Curious about working as a Physiotherapist? Contact our Careers Team today for more information on the rewards and benefits of a career with Ability Action Australia.
