The project is based on the premise that the anticipated rapid increase in demand for disability support services due to the full roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is likely to create a shortage of workers with the right skills and qualifications. 

The main objectives of the project are to identify and quantify potential skills shortages and to explore their composition and potential implications for the impending full roll out of the NDIS. To do so the project takes both the long view by looking at relevant evidence as far back as 2007 and the short view by looking in detail at recent evidence from 2015 and 2016 as well as in-depth interviews conducted with various stakeholder groups in 2017. 

The project uses two complementary types of evidence, large nationally representative secondary survey data sets and in depth qualitative interviews conducted by the research team. The research combines these evidence sources and their analyses in order to present their integration and policy conclusions. 

Recognising that occupational and qualification categories often mix different types of care work and training together, the project uses detailed course descriptions in order to define those care qualifications that are disability-specific. The rest of the qualifications were divided between two categories, ‘other care qualifications’ and ‘all other (non-care) qualifications’. 

This report is funded with assistance from a funding grant offered under the National Disability Research and Development Agenda, jointly implemented by disability representatives from Commonwealth, State and Territory governments.