What READY WILLING & ABLE does

Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) is a Canadian national non-profit partnership initiative, founded in 2014 and jointly governed by Inclusion Canada (formerly the Canadian Association for Community Living) and Autism Alliance of Canada. Its core function is to connect Canadian employers with job seekers who have an intellectual disability or are on the autism spectrum, providing free labour market facilitation, candidate matching, workplace accommodations, disability awareness training, and ongoing post-hire support via a distributed network of Labour Market Facilitators operating in more than 30 communities across all 13 provinces and territories. RWA is fully funded by the Government of Canada's Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities and explicitly does not charge employers or job seekers, so there is no commercial revenue stream.

The operating model is field-led rather than technology-led: the national team consists of approximately six senior staff (National Director, Assistant National Director, two National Managers – Operations, a National Manager – Policy and Resource Development, and a National Project Manager), supported by regionally embedded facilitators and a partner network of more than 100 employment agencies and 21 formal National Employer Partners including Purolator, LCBO, BMO, Costco Canada, Home Depot Canada, IBM Canada, DHL Express Canada, Bimbo Canada, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Sodexo, La Vie en Rose, Loblaw, and SITA. Since 2014 the program has facilitated over 5,500 employment placements and maintains active relationships with more than 12,500 of the 20,000+ Canadian businesses it has engaged.

The product surface beyond the core RWA matching service consists of complementary programs rather than a unified technology platform: The Inclusive Workplace, a free bilingual eLearning and resource hub launched in April 2021; the Youth Employment Skills & Strategy (YESS) Project, funded separately by Employment and Social Development Canada to serve Indigenous, Black, and racialized youth; Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) introduced in 2022 to support long-term career advancement; and the Building Blocks Program for Métis and Non-Status Indigenous youth. RWA does not develop proprietary software or AI systems; its digital assets are the readywillingable.ca website and theinclusiveworkplace.ca learning portal, and the organization's competitive positioning rests on a federal mandate, a national multi-stakeholder ecosystem, and field-based distribution rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

READY WILLING & ABLE

Legal name

Ready, Willing and Able Initiative

Website

https://readywillingable.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) is a federally funded Canadian non-profit partnership initiative of Inclusion Canada and Autism Alliance of Canada that connects employers nationwide with job seekers who have intellectual disabilities or are on the autism spectrum via free labour market facilitation and ongoing workplace inclusion support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Employment Services

NAICS

Vocational Rehabilitation Services (6243), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB), Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language) (EDAKAKAG)

Keywords

• Disability employment services
• Inclusive hiring programs
• Autism employment support
• Labour market integration
• Intellectual disability employment

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: RWA is funded by the Government of Canada's Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. The program provides free services to both employers and job seekers, with no revenue generated from commercial activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ready Willing & Able (RWA) is a Canadian national employment matching service that connects employers with job seekers who have intellectual disabilities or are on the autism spectrum. Operated as a partnership of Inclusion Canada and Autism Alliance of Canada and funded by the Government of Canada's Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, RWA delivers its services free of charge through a network of 100+ employment agency partners and 21+ national employer partners, providing job matching, job coaching, training, and inclusive workplace resources.

Product overview

Ready, Willing and Able (RWA) is a single unified program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core RWA initiative is a national employment matching service that connects employers with job seekers who have intellectual disabilities or are on the autism spectrum, providing free labour market facilitation and support. Supporting this core program are complementary offerings: The Inclusive Workplace resource hub (launched April 2021) provides eLearning, guides, and training materials; the Youth Employment Skills & Strategy (YESS) Project addresses employment for Indigenous and racialized youth with disabilities; and Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDPs) help employed individuals advance their careers. The Building Blocks Program provides specialized pre-employment support in certain communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ready Willing & Able (RWA) Core Employment Program Free national employment matching service connecting Canadian employers with job seekers who have intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. Delivered through 100+ employment agency partners and 21+ national employer partners, with job coaching and inclusive workplace support provided at no cost.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of persons hired through RWA rated better than average on punctuality; 95% rated better than average on attendance and use of sick days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, national employer partner, national partner and community partner.

• Inclusion CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusion Canada (formerly Canadian Association for Community Living) is RWA's founding national partner along with Autism Alliance of Canada. RWA is a national partnership initiative of these two organizations and their member organizations. The organization provides governance and oversight for the program.
• Autism Alliance of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutism Alliance of Canada (formerly Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorders Alliance) is RWA's co-founding national partner. Together with Inclusion Canada, they lead the national initiative to increase labour force participation of people with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum.
• Auticonnational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuticon is a national employer partner specializing in IT services and supporting neurodivergent talent. The company has been recognized for its expertise in employing individuals on the autism spectrum.
• Bimbo Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBimbo Canada is a national employer partner committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. The Moncton Distribution Centre partnered with RWA in 2024 to hire employees with disabilities.
• BMO Financial Groupnational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMO became the first financial institution to become a RWA national employer partner, committed to bringing diversity and inclusion to their workforce.
• The Bricknational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Brick is a national employer partner with initial focus on meeting staffing needs within its 7 Distribution Centres across Canada.
• Canada Lifenational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada Life Assurance Company joined as a national employer partner, striving to reflect the vibrant diversity of Canadians and serving over 13 million customer relationships.
• Costco Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCostco was the first national employer to join the RWA initiative, beginning as a pilot project in December 2013 and expanding across Canada.
• Deloitte Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte Canada is a national employer partner committed to inclusive hiring practices.
• DHL Express Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHL Express Canada joined as an employer partner, specializing in international logistics and shipping.
• Home Depot Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome Depot Canada established a national partnership with RWA beginning as a pilot project in 2015, expanding inclusive hiring Canada-wide.
• IBM Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBM Canada established a national employer partnership with RWA, starting with Halifax operations and expanding nationally to multiple locations.
• LCBOnational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Liquor Control Board of Ontario partnered with RWA to expand inclusive hiring, hiring 100+ individuals with intellectual disabilities and on the autism spectrum across Ontario.
• PepsiCo Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPepsiCo Canada Foods is celebrated for inclusive hiring success through their RWA partnership, employing nearly 11,000 Canadians.
• Purolatornational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerPurolator partnered with RWA in 2017 as a national employer partner and has hired 40+ new team members across the country.
• Sodexo Canadanational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSodexo Canada is a national employer partner committed to inclusive employment practices.
• Wajaxnational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWajax Corporation is one of Canada's leading industrial parts and services providers and a national employer partner building a diverse, ethical, and inclusive environment.
• Worldlinenational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorldline is an international leader in payments and transactional services, joining as a national employer partner.
• SITAnational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communications and information technology, becoming a new national employer partner to explore employment opportunities in Canadian offices.
• Loblaw Companies Ltdnational employer partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerLoblaw partnered with RWA for a pilot project to build an inclusive and diverse workforce, joining as a national employer partner.
• Neuro Plusnational partnerTechnology or IntegrationNeuro Plus is a national partner that launched in Quebec and is expanding to additional locations across Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and British Columbia to support inclusive employment.
• South Asian Autism Awareness Center (SAAAC)community partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAAAC is a community partner in the YESS Project, addressing unique employment challenges faced by Indigenous, Black, and racialized youth with intellectual disabilities or on the autism spectrum.
• Métis Nation of Saskatchewancommunity partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerMétis Nation of Saskatchewan is a community partner in the YESS Project supporting Indigenous youth with disabilities in employment.
• Siksika First Nationcommunity partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSiksika First Nation is a community partner in the YESS Project supporting Indigenous youth employment.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Specialisterne: Global social enterprise focused on neurodiversity employment, helping people with autism and similar conditions find meaningful work; directly comparable to RWA's employer-matching mission, with similar facilitator-led support model and enterprise employer partnerships.
• Untapped: Canadian tech-enabled platform that connects neurodivergent talent (including autistic and intellectually disabled candidates) with inclusive employers; directly comparable Canadian focus with a more technology-driven delivery model than RWA.
• Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work (CCRW): Canadian national nonprofit delivering disability employment services, employer engagement, and Workplace Inclusion Network; directly comparable as a Canadian employment-focused disability service organization with national reach.
• Lime Connect: Canadian-founded nonprofit connecting university students and professionals with disabilities (including autism) to employment opportunities; directly comparable target population, employer base, and North American footprint, with an emphasis on career-launch talent.
• March of Dimes Canada: Canadian national nonprofit operating employment services, including the Employment Accessibility Resource Hub and Acquired Brain Injury services; directly comparable Canadian disability employment peer with similar government-funded program structure.
• Auticon: International IT consulting firm that employs autistic professionals as consultants; directly comparable to RWA in serving autistic/intellectually disabled job seekers with employer matching and workplace support, but operates commercially across multiple countries.
• Integrate (Autism Society affiliate programs): US-based autism employment program placing autistic adults in technology and business roles; directly comparable autism-specific employment matching and employer engagement, though operating on a different (US) scale and policy environment.
• Hire Autism (Dan Marino Foundation): US-based job platform and employment program specifically for individuals with autism; directly comparable autism-focused employer matching and candidate support, with similar free-to-job-seeker model.

Broad incumbents

• AbilityOne (SourceAmerica / NIB): US federal program employing people with disabilities (including significant disabilities) through government contracts; broadly comparable mission and federally-backed funding model, though focused on contract-based employment rather than open employer matching.

Others

• Neurodiversity Hub: Canadian nonprofit ecosystem organization supporting neurodivergent employment and workplace inclusion through research, employer education, and advocacy; thematically related and overlapping employer audience, but functioning as a thought-leadership and convening body rather than a direct placement service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCReIbLmp0h2FQzRqL9JQA-g
• Xx.com/RWAworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about READY WILLING & ABLE