SVA congratulates the SVA Queensland and Employment teams on the completion of the Queensland Social Enterprise Partnership Project with the Queensland Government’s Department of Communities, and Department of Education, Training and Employment.

The purpose of the year-long project was to develop and support sustainable social enterprises that provide alternative employment options and pathways for local disadvantaged jobseekers. This included government supporting SVA to work with social enterprises to grow local opportunities, such as the development of alternative procurement options for all levels of government, and for SVA to develop a portfolio of social enterprises to be provided with investment and support.

The project’s target of supporting 65 disadvantaged jobseekers was exceeded, with 87 new individuals from marginalised backgrounds employed in the social enterprises supported. Nine new enterprises were invested in within the social enterprise portfolio: five with a focus on employing young people at risk, two of these being Indigenous organisations and four enterprises employing people with mental health issues. In addition, 21 social enterprises, which had been identified and supported in the past, received aftercare support.

SVA also provided a range of support activities to help build sustainability within the social enterprises. These activities included hosting regional social enterprise workshops, running commerce panels, arranging business mentoring and business showcase sessions, negotiating access to procurement opportunities, and providing training on social procurement, social return on investment (SROI) and advocacy. SROI analyses were also completed on some of the enterprises.

The project was supported by a network of collaborating business experts on a pro bono basis. SVA would like to thank all those who contributed their time and skills, particularly the PwC team.