Good Sammy recognised for award-winning pathways into employment

Uniting Church Agency Good Sammy Enterprises has been recognised at the 2026 WA Disability Support Awards for their Pathways to Employment Pilot program, winning in the category of Excellence in Supporting Employment Outcomes.

Good Sammy has been named the winner of Western Australia’s National Disability Awards in the Excellence in Supporting Employment Outcomes category, recognising a proven, person-centred approach that is helping more Western Australians with disability move into work.

The award was underpinned by the learnings and impact of Good Sammy’s Pathways to Employment Pilot, co-designed with people with lived experience, to remove barriers, build job readiness, and create genuine pathways into open and hybrid employment. The Pilot was funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation and a private funder.

An enabling platform for employment success were Good Sammy’s diverse social enterprises, where participants can build skills in real workplaces that also deliver community value through reuse, recycling and other circular-economy activities.

Proven outcomes included:

• 67 people with disability commenced accredited training (Certificate II–IV pathways, traineeships, forklift licensing and driver training), building practical, transferable skills.
• 72% training completion rate, reflecting strong engagement and high-quality support (with non-completion primarily due to personal or health factors).
• Seven participants secured open employment, with a further 20 people moving into open or hybrid roles with external employers.
• 85% retention rate for people placed into open employment, demonstrating job fit, sustained support and employer readiness.
• 60% reported increased confidence and independence, and more than 90% identified consistent, individualised support as key to sustaining employment.

Good Sammy’s Pathways to Employment Pilot was independently evaluated by the Social Policy Research Unit (UNSW) and the Centre for Social Impact (UWA), examining impact for people with disability, workplaces and families. The evaluation confirmed that “the success of these trials demonstrates the potential for scalable, sustainable models of support that benefit both employees and employers.”

Good Sammy CEO Kane Blackman, said:

“This award recognises what we see every day – when we invest in strengths, remove barriers, and work alongside employers – people with disability thrive at work. We’re proud of the outcomes achieved through the Pathways to Employment Pilot and excited to partner with industry and funders to expand this impact.
I’d like to acknowledge the whole Good Sammy team for their continued efforts to address the systemic and under employment of people with disability in Western Australia.”

The 2026 WA Disability Support Awards took place on 2 May at Crown Perth.

Images and story from Good Sammy Enterprises.