Lunch & Learn – Understanding Employers to Strengthen Employer Engagement

Join us for this free Lunch & Learn session exploring the partnership between Flinders University and Accor Pacific, which co-delivered inclusive employment initiatives across 49 hotels nationwide as part of a three-year participatory action research project. The session with Dr Jung Yoon, Senior Research Fellow at Flinders University will showcase how the pilot program was implemented and the changes observed before and after the project activities.  Josh Hanley, Senior Manager of Social Impact at Accor Pacific, will share insights and experiences from the hotel perspective on inclusive employment.

Duration: 45 minutes

Format: Online via Teams

Fee: Free

Register: Lunch & Learn – Understanding Employers to Strengthen Employer Engagement

Access: Once you have registered, the Teams meeting link will be provided in your registration confirmation email.

This Lunch & Learn series is a collaboration between Disability Employment Australia (DEA) and the Centre for Inclusive Employment. Sessions are designed to provide evidence-based information and practical insights to support continuous improvement in practice and the quality of services for people with disability.

SPEAKER INFORMATION

Dr Jung Yoon, Senior Research Fellow, Flinders University
Dr Jung Yoon is a senior research fellow at the Flinders Factory of the Future, the College of Business, Creative Arts, Law and Social Sciences, and a deputy director at Flinders Autism Research Initiatives at Flinders University. Dr Yoon’s research focuses on meaningful socio-economic engagement for people with cognitive disabilities by creating innovative, inclusive, and accessible workplaces across diverse industries. She has led diverse action research projects through industry partnerships, including the Diversity Pathways (2022-2026), co-delivering inclusive employment initiatives with Accor Pacific; co-developing a digital literacy skills training framework for people with disabilities with EPIC Assist (2024-2025); Invisible Ramp (2026-2029), co-developing effective job-matching navigation for disability employment in partnership with Endeavour Foundation and Employment Hero; and Talent Access Partnership (2026-2029), connecting employers to disability workforces in partnership with Disability Employment Investment.

Josh Hanley, Senior Manager of Social Impact, Accor Pacific
Josh Hanley is the Senior Manager of Social Impact at Accor Pacific. Josh’s portfolio includes leading Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy across Accor’s Pacific operations, chairing the Accor Pacific Community Fund investment board & a member of Accor’s Global Social Care & Impact Executive Committee.

Josh has led the implementation of the Diversity Pathways partnership in collaboration with Dr Yoon’s team from the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University, this program has been instrumental in elevating Accor’s inclusive employment pathways across Australian hotels & lounges, particularly for People with Cognitive Disabilities.