Bedford’s 5-Year Strategic Plan - Creating Choice and Opportunity
Bedford’s purpose is to support people with disability to live the life they choose; this drives everything we do.
In our mission to create choice, Bedford is proud to be taking a leadership role with our bold, contemporary and responsive 5-Year Strategic Plan which will see investment of over $50 million in new enterprises, facilities, services and opportunities. This plan is about offering unprecedented choice, opportunity and support for people with disability, whether it be in supported employment, open employment or other employment pathways, or skill-building opportunities in our Learning and Experiences hubs.
The need for greater choice in employment options and the lack of meaningful job opportunities for people with disability in the open market, coupled with our purpose, has driven us to find ways to provide everyone with the opportunity to learn, grow and make the most of their lives
Understanding the Plan
Bedford’s progressive 5-Year Strategic Plan involves developing a portfolio of Bedford-backed social enterprises that provide a diverse range of open employment opportunities for people of all abilities. These businesses lead to more career pathways and an opportunity to earn an award wage. We will also partner with businesses to support people with disability to move from supported employment to mainstream open employment, with the support of a Bedford on-the-job coach.
Together with the introduction of a social enterprise operating model, the strategy reimagines possibilities for supported employment. This is complemented with an expanded footprint for skill building, learning and new experiences in dedicated Hubs across the state. We will deliver our plan through valued business partnerships, strategic acquisitions and the building of fit-for-purpose facilities.
The centrepiece of the Strategic Plan is our Advanced Manufacturing and Retail Hub in Salisbury, which will open in 2025. Spanning 19,000 square metres, the Hub will be home to a third site for Cultivate Food and Beverage and the flagship for Dovetail Advanced Manufacturing. Once completed, it will be the largest social enterprise site in Australia.
The Hub will provide pathways into open employment for those who may otherwise experience barriers to work. This results in a cascade of social, financial and health benefits for employees, in addition to the economic benefits that flow through to the government and broader community through increased wages, and therefore income taxes, reduction in Disability Support Pension payments and a reduction in NDIS payments towards supported employment.
More about Bedford-backed social enterprises
Dovetail Advanced manufacturing specialises in the manufacture of quality timber products and furniture such as wardrobes, kitchen cabinetry and office fit-outs for consumers and businesses.
GreenInc landscape construction delivers large scale custom landscape design and implementation, community recreation space establishment and maintenance and green waste management.
Cultivate Food and Beverage offers large contract food manufacturing capabilities will full supply chain solutions including procurement, production, storage, logistics and packaging. The stable of delicious Cultivate brands includes Emmaline’s, Barossa Pizza and Emma and Myrtle’s Bakehouse.
More Choice in Learning and New Experiences
As part of offering more choice and opportunity in Bedford’s 5-Year Strategy, we are expanding and further developing our Learning and Experiences services, with purpose-built hubs in Torrensville and Mount Gambier and a greater range of capacity building programs.
Get Involved
There are a number of ways you can support Bedford in delivering its 5-Year Strategic Plan and its purpose of supporting people with disability to live the life they choose:
Let’s Collaborate
If you are interested in discussing any of the above, we would love to hear from you.