Last week, the Getmee team joined employment services leaders from across Australia at the NESA 2026 National Conference in Brisbane.
Across two days, we were proud to contribute to the national conversation as a conference sponsor, technology partner, exhibitor and industry voice, culminating in Getmee Founder and CEO Balendran Thavarajah joining industry leaders to close the conference with a discussion on “How to Lead Through Change.”
For Getmee, it was much more than exhibiting. We showcased to providers how rapidly Getmee’s platform is evolving employability skills tools and career coach capability.
What we heard at NESA
Government is signalling a bold change in the way employment support will be delivered, including a stronger emphasis on digital, self-directed and technology-enabled services for Stream 1 participants.
For providers, this means adapting operating models while continuing to deliver meaningful participant outcomes.
For Getmee, this direction closely aligns with what we have been building with the industry for years.
Using the right level of support for the right participant and freeing frontline teams to spend more time with people who need intensive assistance.
Getmee was also proud to sponsor the 2026 Champion Employer of the Year Award at the NESA Awards for Excellence Gala Dinner.
For Getmee CEO Balendran Thavarajah, presenting the award had a particularly personal meaning. When Bala first arrived in Australia as an immigrant, someone working within employment services helped him secure his first pick-packing job. That first opportunity helped him begin building his life and career in Australia. Today, it is one of the experiences behind why Getmee exists.
Alongside NESA CEO Kathryn Mandla and Chair Robert Marshall, Bala reflected on why great employers and the employment professionals who connect people with those employers matter.
Congratulations to the 2026 Champion Employer of the Year winner Woolworths Group, supported by SYC Limited. And to finalists Coonamble Shire Council supported by VERTO, Woolworths Group QLD, VIC and SA partnership supported by SYC Limited and Woolworths Group national partnership supported by atWork Australia.
The award speaks directly to Getmee’s own purpose: helping turn communication, employability development and career preparation into measurable employment outcomes.
Julia Stephenson and Paul Burley at the Getmee stand, showcased our AI-powered communication, employability and career coaching platform, how we support employment service providers, strengthen frontline delivery and help job seekers.
Technology, partnership and the people behind employment outcomes
One of the most exciting outcomes from the conference was the next stage of our partnership with genU Training and Nikki Noack.
We were pleased to announce the expansion of our strategic technology partnership and the upcoming launch of genU Training CareReady. CareReady is being designed specifically for the NDIS frontline workforce, bringing together training, compliance, and workforce capability. The product will address the needs of frontline workers and the organisations supporting them.
Leading through change
Day 2 moved the conversation from technology and reform into one of the biggest leadership questions facing the sector: How do you lead through change? The conference closed with a leadership discussion featuring Balendran Thavarajah (Getmee Founder/CEO), Carmel Mulhern, Amanda Mather GAICD (TransitCare Limited) and Poul Bottern.
The discussion focused on what resilient leadership really looks like when organisations are operating through uncertainty, policy change and transformation.
For Bala, leading through change means organisations cannot simply wait until a new system arrives and then react.
Leaders need to prepare their organisations early and recognising that technology alone is not the answer.
NESA 2026 reinforced something we have believed for some time. Employment services is not simply undergoing another technology upgrade. The operating model itself is changing. Government is being bold about reform and providers will need to decide how boldly they respond.
Getmee’s role is to help organisations create a model where technology provides scalable, self-directed support for participants, while employment professionals remain focused on the people who need their expertise most.
Our partnerships with organisations such as genU Training, our work alongside employment service providers, and the conversations we had across the NESA conference floor are helping shape what we build next.
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About Getmee
Getmee is an award-winning AI-powered communication and employability skills coach, helping individuals from students to job seekers build confidence and capability in speaking, interviewing, and workplace readiness. Headquartered in Australia, Getmee technology is used globally in education, employment services, and enterprise, with a focus on improving social mobility and economic inclusion.
For more information about Getmee AI, visit https://getmee.ai.
Contact our team or schedule your demo by contacting Paul Burley paul@getmee.ai
