Endeavour Foundation Moves on Victorian Merger

Queensland-based disability support Not for Profit, Endeavour Foundation has merged with two Victorian amalgamated community service organisations in its latest move towards what it describes as long term sustainability.

Victoria’s SkillsPlus and BRACE (which merged two years ago) have joined forces with Endeavour Foundation in a push to become a major provider of employment, education and training in Victoria.

Endeavour Foundation is a Not for Profit organisation supporting more than 3,300 people with a disability in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

This latest Endeavour merger is part of a string of amalgamations with smaller service providers across Australia as part of the impact of the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Endeavour Foundation acting Chief Executive Andrew Donne said the organisations would together develop a unique range of services, and through improved synergies and resource sharing, would have a greater ability to compete in an increasingly tough economic climate.

“We are stronger together and the combination of our services is a great fit. As both employers and job services providers, we have a lot to offer people. As trainers and educators, we can assist people to get the qualifications they seek,” Donne said.

“Endeavour Foundation recognises the critical need to provide employment opportunities for all people; particularly those people who are vulnerable and in regional communities.

"The extensive planning process has provided significant optimism regarding the future of the amalgamated organisations, which will continue to operate as Endeavour Foundation and SkillsPlus/BRACE under a single governance and corporate platform.

“We are one of Queensland’s oldest charities, founded in 1951 when a group of parents joined together to provide an education for their children with a disability, unwilling to accept the limitations placed upon them by society.

“Today Endeavour Foundation is a diverse community organisation providing person-centred support for people with a disability as part of the everyday community – through education, training and life skill development, employment, accommodation support, respite and recreation.”

In Victoria, SkillsPlus/BRACE Chief Executive Officer Sue Cattermole said the amalgamation would help to expand services, particularly in regional communities.

"This amalgamation ensures that we can secure the long-term sustainability of these services and puts us at the forefront in the delivery of comprehensive workforce solutions. We also hope to expand our range of services," Cattermole said.

SkillsPlus/BRACE delivers a range of training, education, disability and youth programs to more than 10,000 people in Melbourne, Regional Victoria and North Adelaide and specialise in the delivery of employment services including jobactive and Disability Employment Services.

This is the latest merger for the Endeavour Foundation. The organisation said it responded to a request for assistance from Australian Disability Enterprise operator Cumberland Industries in 2009, stepping in to save the jobs of almost 500 people with a disability employed by the organisation in western Sydney.

In 2013, Endeavour Foundation merged with VATMI Group, with the announcement of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The Foundation merged with Queensland-based, Not for Profit organisation Community Solutions Group in October 2014, and as a precursor to this, Compass Whitsundays and Capricornia Respite Care Association (CRCA) joined Endeavour in August that year.

Endeavour Foundation also acquired Down Under Safety, a well-known supplier of personal protective equipment in the mining and industrial sector, in 2014.

In July 2015, Endeavour Foundation said it amalgamated with one of Queensland's leading community service organisations, TORGAS, to create a broader platform for the provision of employment, apprenticeship and traineeship support.