Matt Little
CEO CoAct
Chair NESA
i-exchange spoke to Matt Little, CEO of CoAct and Chair of NESA.
CoAct is a national network of independent, community-based and not-for-profit employment service providers.
Recently appointed Chair of the Board of the National Employment Services Association (NESA), Matt says the sector will see major changes that will reinvigorate a stagnant industry.
An avid fisherman, Matt thinks strategically both while fishing and while in the workplace. He attributes his capacity to successfully navigate change in the employment services sector to a leadership style that promotes forward thinking and the ability to embrace change “I think deeply about what will be different in three years’ time to deliver effective solutions that will meet the changing needs of the sector.”
As CEO of CoAct, Matt provides strategic direction for a network of independent employment providers. “I try to cascade this forward thinking approach through our networks and engage them to be drivers of change. By anticipating future needs, using behaviour analytics and our in depth knowledge of the sector, CoAct supports our network to implement best practice and deliver growth.”
It’s an approach that works. Last year, the CoAct network achieved turnover of $90 million, with 25% growth forecast for the current year.
i think deeply about what will be different in three years’ time to deliver effective solutions that will meet the changing needs of the sector.
Matt believes that community driven solutions deliver much greater, sustained success than fly-in, fly-out models. “The current jobactive model has pushed smaller community based organisations out of employment services which has reduced opportunities for collaboration and responsiveness to local needs. We have seen massive consolidation in the sector and the emergence of large players.” At the start of Jobs Australia in 1998, there were about 200 providers; now there are less than 40.
Matt began his work in the sector as a disability employment specialist with a non-profit employment provider called Horizon Foundation and says he “immediately fell in love with the combination of heart and service delivery.” He is a passionate advocate for providing the customer with quality services that meet individual needs, regardless of age, ability or location. “When I first started in the industry, we could implement our own personal slant on service delivery” he says. Horizon Foundations was the first organisation in Australia to implement a tailored service for job seekers with disability in mainstream employment services, which was very successful. Horizon Foundation immediately obtained a 5-star rating – the highest in the country.
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the current jobactive model has pushed smaller community based organisations out of employment services which has reduced opportunities for collaboration and responsiveness to local needs
However, from 2006 onwards, the sector progressively shifted to a higher volume and more transactional model. “The structure and support systems set up by the Government only incentivised placing a job seeker into a position – any position – whether they were suited to that job or not” says Matt. “The emphasis was on the speed and volume of employment placements, not sustained and meaningful employment”. This approach required a significant change in process across the CoAct network to one more driven by data and trends to meet organisational targets.
It is this experience and insight that saw Matt recently appointed Chair of the Board of the National Employment Services Association (NESA). As the peak body for the employment services sector, NESA’s role is to bridge the gap between Government and the sector ensuring quality services are at the forefront of policy decisions.
Matt participated in the recent inquiry into the jobactive program. The inquiry highlighted areas where improvements could be considered to make the program more effective. Overall, the inquiry concluded that jobactive is currently ‘failing those it is intended to serve’.
As the current jobactive program comes to an end in 2022, Matt says “all indications are that we’ll be moving back to community embedded service delivery and more tailored individual support for job seekers experiencing complex barriers to finding sustainable work. We have come full circle.”
all indications are that we’ll be moving back to community embedded service delivery and more tailored individual support for job seekers
“In the next few years, I expect the sector will be moving to open market settings like Disability Employment (DES), which means customer choice will increase. Providers will need to embrace change, deliver client focused, tailored solutions or lose custom,” Matt states. At present job seekers are allocated to a provider – they have a given market share. This new model will see dynamic change. “I feel Providers will need to demonstrate a motivational change approach to service delivery … be a change agent for the client.”
“Future systems will also be grounded in digital technologies, which will further increase choice and flexibility for job seekers.”
Right now, I feel the industry is a little stagnant, with limited ability to provide a highly tailored approach. The shift to a competitive open market will see an increased level of customer service, drive deeper employer relations, more sophistication around training investment and finding the job best suited to a job seeker, not just any job,” says Matt.
Matt believes there will be renewed investment in ensuring clients find meaningful, sustained employment for 52 weeks.
a competitive open market will see an increased level of customer service, drive deeper employer relations, more sophistication around training investment and finding the job best suited to a job seeker
Matt himself understands the importance of meaningful employment. “I had my own lawn mowing franchise for over ten years. There came the day when I knew I wanted to change gears – and make a difference.” He has found that in his roles at CoAct and NESA.
Matt’s passion is building stronger communities throughout Australia. He is noted for his vision in understanding the needs of multiple stakeholders and developing robust partnerships that tackle unemployment and disadvantage. Renowned for his ‘long game’ approach to employment solutions, Matt also believes in ‘not sweating the small stuff.’
When not developing innovative workforce initiatives, Matt escapes the Big Smoke to pursue his other passion. “My happy place is a small country town where I sit by the river fishing”.
