Innovative workforce growth in thin markets - Piloting use of mixed digital & face-to-face workforce development to scale capacity building supports with NDIS participants in Tasmania.

This project will use targeted online, telehealth & face-to-face workforce development strategies to grow supply & capability of near/ new-graduate health professionals available to work with NDIS participants. There are four aims: 1. Establish, test & evaluate a model of student training with NDIS participants within Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) & Lifestyle programs, in collaboration with two disability providers in Tasmania (an identified thin market) 2. Showcase effective application of NDIS policy regarding use of students to enhance NDIS participant experience, so providers learn from & apply this model to grow workforce capacity 3. Demonstrate application of NDIS supervision & delegation frameworks (Department of Social Services-funded) for capacity building 4. Develop a workforce strategy to attract students working (in direct support roles) with NDIS participants both whilst studying & as new graduate health professionals, to reduce market failure risk in Tasmania.