NDIS Guide
If your child is approaching the end of school, SLES — School Leaver Employment Supports — could be one of the most valuable supports in their NDIS plan. Many families don’t know it exists until it’s almost too late to request it. This guide explains what SLES is, who qualifies, what the funding pays for, and how to make sure your young person gets it included before they leave school. For a broader overview of the NDIS, see our guide to understanding the NDIS.
What SLES is and who it’s designed for
SLES stands for School Leaver Employment Supports. It is an NDIS-funded support category for young people who are in their final year of school, or who have recently left, and need structured help to move toward employment. The goal isn’t to find a job on day one — it’s to build the skills, confidence, and work readiness that make employment possible.
SLES sits within the Capacity Building — Employment support budget in a participant’s NDIS plan. Unlike hourly support funding, SLES uses an annualised funding model, which means your child receives a set yearly amount with the flexibility to use it across different activities and providers without counting hours.
The programme recognises that for many young people with disability, the jump straight from classroom to workplace is too large without support in between. SLES is that bridge.
Who is eligible for NDIS SLES?
To access SLES, a young person must meet all of the following:
- They are an active NDIS participant
- They are in their final year of school or have already left school
- They are generally under 22 years old (there is no hard age cut-off in the NDIS rules, but SLES is intended for recent school leavers)
- Employment is a realistic goal in their NDIS plan — the supports must be reasonable and necessary toward an employment outcome
- They require more intensive support than what Disability Employment Services (DES) provides at entry level
What SLES funding can (and can’t) pay for
SLES is specifically scoped to employment-related activities. It is not general Capacity Building support — every activity must link to an employment outcome.
What SLES can fund:
01
Work experience
Structured placements in real workplaces, typically in open employment settings, to build familiarity with workplace environments.
02
Job-site training
Support at a specific job site to learn the tasks, routines, and expectations of that role.
03
Travel training
Learning to travel independently to and from a workplace — bus routes, timetables, safe navigation.
04
Workplace skills
Financial management basics relevant to working, professional behaviour, communication, and task management in a work context.
What SLES cannot fund:
- General community access or recreation
- TAFE or university course fees (though SLES can support a person attending TAFE as a pathway to employment)
- Activities with no direct link to an employment outcome
- Supports covered by Disability Employment Services — NDIS rules prevent double-dipping between the two systems
How to get SLES added to your NDIS plan (3 steps)
SLES doesn’t appear automatically. You need to ask for it, and the best time to do that is before your child finishes school. A support coordinator can help you prepare the evidence and request, which makes a meaningful difference in the outcome.
Step 1
Raise employment goals at your next planning meeting
Bring written evidence that employment is a realistic goal — a report from a school transition officer, an allied health professional, or a careers counsellor. The NDIA planner needs to see that SLES is reasonable and necessary for your child’s situation. If you already have a support coordinator, ask them to attend the meeting with you.
Step 2
Request a plan review if SLES is not currently in the plan
If your child has already left school and their current plan doesn’t include SLES, you can request a change of circumstances review. Contact your Local Area Coordinator or call the NDIA on 1800 800 110. Allow four to eight weeks for the review to complete.
Step 3
Choose an approved SLES provider and arrange a service agreement
Once SLES funding is in the plan, find a registered NDIS provider that offers SLES. A registered plan manager can help track spending against the annualised SLES budget and process invoices from your provider, so you always know exactly how much is left.
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Find my plan manager — submit a free inquirySLES vs DES: which comes first?
This is the question families ask most. The short answer: SLES first, DES second.
SLES (funded by the NDIS, from your child’s Capacity Building — Employment budget) is the intensive, pre-employment phase. It builds the foundational skills a young person needs before they’re ready to look for a job.
DES — Disability Employment Services — is a separate federal government programme, not funded from the NDIS budget. DES helps people with disability find and keep a job. It kicks in once a person is work-ready enough to benefit from job placement support.
The two systems cannot be used simultaneously for the same purpose. While a person is receiving SLES, they generally cannot access DES for the same type of support. Once SLES ends, DES becomes the primary pathway. The NDIS employment page explains how these two systems interact.
What happens after SLES ends?
SLES funding lasts up to two years. When it ends, the most common next steps are:
- Disability Employment Services (DES) — for participants who are ready to enter the open employment market and need help finding and keeping a job. DES is free and government-funded; no NDIS funding is needed to access it.
- Australian Disability Enterprises (ADE) — for participants who are not yet ready for open employment and would benefit from supported employment in a structured workplace.
- NDIS employment supports — some participants continue with NDIS-funded employment-related supports under the Capacity Building budget, particularly if they need ongoing assistance rather than time-limited SLES.
If your child’s SLES is coming to an end and no clear next step is in place, raise it at their next plan review. A support coordinator can map out the employment pathway and ensure the plan reflects the right supports for the next phase. When you’re selecting a plan manager to help manage the transition, our independent comparison of NDIS plan managers makes it easy to find one with experience in employment support.
Frequently Asked Questions About NDIS SLES
What does SLES stand for?
SLES stands for School Leaver Employment Supports. It is an NDIS-funded support category for young people with disability who are transitioning from school into employment, funded under the Capacity Building — Employment budget in their NDIS plan.
How long can my child access SLES funding?
SLES funding can be included in a participant’s NDIS plan for up to two years. The funding uses an annualised model, meaning your child receives a set yearly amount rather than an hourly rate, giving flexibility in how and when supports are used across the year.
What if SLES is not already in my child’s NDIS plan?
You can request that SLES be added through a plan review. Contact your Local Area Coordinator or the NDIA directly on 1800 800 110 and explain that employment is a goal for your child. Bringing supporting evidence — such as a report from a school transition officer or allied health professional — strengthens the request. Allow four to eight weeks for the review process.
Can my child use SLES and DES at the same time?
Generally, no. NDIS rules prevent the same type of support being funded by both the NDIS (SLES) and Disability Employment Services (DES) simultaneously. SLES is the first step; DES comes after SLES ends, once the young person is work-ready. If you are unsure which applies, speak with your support coordinator.
Does plan management help with SLES funding?
Yes. A plan manager receives and pays SLES provider invoices on your behalf, tracks spending against the annualised budget, and gives you real-time visibility of what’s left. Because SLES uses a yearly lump-sum model rather than hourly billing, it can be easy to lose track of spending — a good plan manager prevents that. See our guide to NDIS plan management for more detail on how it works.
Who provides SLES in the NDIS?
SLES is delivered by registered NDIS providers who specialise in employment transition programmes. Providers vary in the types of support they offer — some focus on work experience placement, others on skill-building workshops. Your support coordinator can help identify providers in your area, or you can search the NDIS Find a Provider tool.