National employers including Goodstart Early Learning, Coles Supermarkets and Radisson and Marriott Hotels have signed on to an innovative program designed to change the way the employment system works, with employers and service providers working together to support young people experiencing long-term unemployment.
A collaboration between Social Ventures Australia (SVA), Brotherhood of St Laurence, Jesuit Social Services and Mission Australia, the Industry Employment Initiative (IEI) is a demand-led model that works with employers to understand their skill needs and vacancies. It then works backwards to design a training pathway to support potential candidates into those roles.
The number of job seekers experiencing long-term unemployment in Australia reached its highest level in 16 years recently, with more than half a million people out of work for over a year. It has become increasingly difficult to access entry level positions, creating a ‘lost generation’ of young people shut out of employment opportunities, and a new wave of long-term unemployed.
At the same time, it is predicted that Australia will need 800, 000 new workers over the next five years. Though national employers have job vacancies, only 7% of employers use the current government system to recruit staff.
SVA CEO Rob Koczkar commented:
‘National employers have vacancies and are eager to provide meaningful and sustainable employment opportunities for disadvantaged jobseekers. However, feedback has consistently shown that employers need guidance, tools to support and retain this cohort over the long term.
‘The IEI provides deep employer engagement alongside wrap-around support for jobseekers so that a sustainable relationship between employers and jobseekers can be built. If the lessons emerging from this pilot can inform the approach of employment service providers across the country, the impact on our community and economy could be very significant.’
In 2015, Goodstart Early Learning provided work experience followed by ongoing employment to 15 long-term unemployed young people in Melbourne and Darwin.
Goodstart Early Learning CEO Julia Davison said the IEI program had provided a great opportunity to collaborate with Social Ventures Australia and Brotherhood of St Laurence to support young people experiencing long-term unemployment.
‘Goodstart has supported 15 young people from the IEI program, through traineeships in Goodstart centres in Victoria and the Northern Territory since August this year. After participating in the program, the participants have successfully transitioned into permanent full-time employment with Goodstart.’
Ms Davison said the success of the program is largely due to the collaboration between the employer and the IEI program leaders in co-designing a program that benefits the employer and identifies the needs and capabilities of the jobseeker.
‘Goodstart was able to customise the program with tailored training to meet the needs of our business and offer traineeships in targeted areas where a skills shortage had been identified. This year’s success has provided opportunity for further collaboration and ongoing support and training,’ she said.
Anna Beamish from the Brotherhood of St Laurence commented:
‘The journey to a job is far from easy for many of these young people. They experience barriers including little or no work experience, literacy & numeracy issues, homelessness, mental and physical health challenges and sometimes family violence. Despite this, with the right support, they can and do flourish, challenging the stigma of unemployed young people as not worth the trouble.’
Sally Parnell, Acting CEO at Jesuit Social Services, says the organisation is thrilled to be able to assist vulnerable young people into work at Coles.
‘Jesuit Social Services is always seeking innovative ways to help disengaged young people into employment, and the IEI is an example of what can be achieved with a collaborative approach between employers and social change organisations,’ she says.
‘Many of the young people we work with have faced multiple and complex barriers to employment, yet they want to be productive and contribute to society. An initiative like the IEI can put disadvantaged young people on a positive pathway and literally change lives.’
