CDERP College

CDERP College is where we translate our research and evidence driven focus into practice. Where Person-Centred Practice is real and not just a buzzword. Customised Employment, Discovery and Employment Counselling knowledge and skills to support meaningful employment outcomes. Evidence based, practice informed real world guidance and skills development. Self-paced online, face to face or live via Zoom, we can deliver world class training and development to you in a format that works for you. Need something special, choose from our extensive menu of lessons to create bespoke training to suit your purposes.

Customised Employment, Discovery and Employment Counselling Training and Development

In today's professional landscape, where diversity and inclusion are crucial, the need for skilled professionals in disability employment support is rapidly increasing. CDERP College is the only member of the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) outside the USA. ACRE certifies training organisations and curricula based on recognised competencies for disability and customised employment practice. This distinction allows us to offer specialised training and professional development programs for disability employment professionals, advocates, and families, providing the essential skills needed to succeed in the field.

At CDERP College, our focus is on delivering practical, person-centred services within the evolving landscape of disability employment. Our programs are not developed in isolation but in collaboration with leading experts and researchers, including Griffin Hammis Associates, Work First NDIS Employment, and service providers both locally and internationally. This collaborative approach ensures that our training is both relevant to the local context and informed by global best practices.

We work closely with practitioners, academics, families, and employers to design programs grounded in real-world practice and research.

Rather than just observing the challenges in the field, we actively develop solutions that improve service delivery and effectiveness. These solutions include whole of system change and service delivery models that support real person-centred practice that meet the needs of clients and service providers operating within our context and environment.

Actionable Training

Evidence-based Practice Informed training that works everyday. We don't simply write and teach, we deliver it everyday through our Work First Employment program.

Learning that Builds Skills

Our training isn't about just passing a course to get some letters after your name. It's about building your knowledge and skills for the real world.

Mentoring

It's not just about theory; on demand mentoring and the Customised Employment Community of Practice ensure that you get real life support and timely mentoring from experts and peers alike.

Professional Development and Training For Disability Employment Advocates, Families and Consultants

Our programs represent a benchmark of excellence in the field of disability employment support. As the foremost resource for Customised Employment and Discovery Professionals, we are dedicated to enhancing professional practices to the highest standards. Our courses, rooted in evidence-based methodologies and enriched by practical experience, provide invaluable insights and strategies for effectively navigating the complexities of disability employment. Our innovative Employment Counselling program exemplifies our commitment to a holistic approach, placing us at the forefront of evolving best practices. These advancements form the foundation of the Work First Way model, which is increasingly recognized and adopted by service providers aiming to implement genuine person-centred practices. We take pride in offering cutting-edge programs designed to meet the specific needs and aspirations of Open and Supported Employment Staff and Families. Whether you are launching a career in disability employment support or seeking to advance your current skill set, our comprehensive curriculum is designed to equip you with the necessary tools and confidence to make a significant impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities. By engaging with our programs, you are not only acquiring knowledge but also contributing as a catalyst for positive change within the disability employment sector.

Build Relevant Skills

Our programs allow you to build the skills necessary to deliver meaningful employment services, particularly for people interested in delivering person-centred services with an emphasis on Customised Employment and Discovery. Based on the best available evidence for practice.

Get The Right Path From The Best Learning Platform

We offer you the opportunity to engage with up to date material and resources to make your learning journey easy and accessible. Our LMS is intuitive and well supported. Courses are complete with downable resources and video materials.

Learn From The Professionals

Our staff don’t just teach you new skills, they use them daily with clients, service providers, business and government. Learn from people locally and internationally who have global experience and support to nuance the training to our culture and context.

I just finished the latest CDERP podcast and wanted to check in to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed the recent training sessions. It’s reinvigorated my interest in employment outcomes for people living with disability and reminded me why I started working in this field in the first place. Redefining purpose seems to benefit from these accidental moments, and while my current role only briefly scratches the surface, it has me thinking about the future again through a changed lens.

Chris

From Tasmania

I really enjoyed the CDERP course because of its person-centred approach to employment, which really aligns with my values. It looks at the person as a whole and aims to create a role with longevity and career development based on their particular skills and attributes. The course gives you a great understanding of the structure and steps involved in the customised employment process, but also allows for the flexibility and fluidity needed when dealing with individuals with complex needs. It was helpful to use real examples and being able to access the course facilitators for mentoring throughout the course has been really valuable.

Ally

From Perth

I am really enjoying the Customised Employment Course. It is easy to study, interesting and practical. If we go by the responses of the people I told about the Customised Employment, there is a demand for it in Kenya. I have so many questions about how this can be contextualised for a low income country with high unemployment rate, no disability benefits, difficulty finding jobs even for people with minor disabilities.

Jane

From Kenya

I just think that the impact of this first part of Discovery on you is quite significant and I would be right in saying that the outcomes that you would assume for clients would be so different to what you might have considered in the past.

Provider Staff Participant

From Canberra

I guess I never really appreciated how much a job means to guys like Billy. I just took it for granted and looked at it from a perspective of paying the bills and making an impact in small ways when I am allowed to. With this training I feel inspired and motivated to work on a different level and have a bigger impact at empowering people with a disability. Before Covid one night at soccer Billy comes up to me and tells me that he might have a job in a recycling yard. He seemed so proud and happy. I gave it some thought and felt a little flattered that he would share this good news with me and then well you know the story. On my informational interview with him I asked him how many friends he had apart from Tom at the soccer and he said "no one really" and that felt so sad. So to have the experience and training to be able to help him it almost brings a tear to me eye and I feel very blessed.