Close Menu
  • SVA Consulting
  • Impact Investing
  • Programs & Ventures
  • Learning & Insights
  • About SVA
  • News
  • Careers
  • Team
  • Contact
  • Give to SVA
Subscribe
Social Ventures Australia Close Search
  • Mental Health Perspective Paper
  • Bright Spots Schools Connection
  • Donate
  • CEO
  • Evidence for Learning (E4L)
  • Goodstart
  • Jobs at SVA
  • Our People
  • Social Impact Bonds
  • SVA Quarterly
  • Suzie Riddell
Social Ventures Australia

Social Ventures Australia

Search Trigger Menu
Social Ventures Australia

Social Ventures Australia

Search Trigger Menu
CareerTrackers

Home > Work > CareerTrackers

CareerTrackers

CareerTrackers creates professional career pathways for Indigenous university students. It matches students’ career aspirations with private sector employers who provide in-depth work experience in the form of paid internships.

There are 83,000 young Indigenous Australians living in our disadvantaged communities that are unable to access the educational and broader life opportunities they need to reach their full potential. The disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is continually highlighted across education and employment results and participation. Indigenous young people are half as likely to finish year twelve and are represented at university at about one-fifth the rate of their non-Indigenous peers.

The CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program is a non-profit social enterprise creating private sector internship opportunities for talented Indigenous university students. The program provides support and structure for both student and employer. All internships are merit based and program participants receive intensive interview and employability skills training before undergoing an employment selection process. Similarly, CareerTrackers prepare the employer for the intern providing cultural awareness training and structure to the intern’s workplace assignments.

CareerTrackers monitors the relationship between the intern and employer to ensure a meaningful experience and constructive feedback. It also provides academic support to help interns balance their study and work commitments. Through the CareerTrackers Alumni Association they can access continuing personal, professional and peer support. CareerTrackers is creating a community of Indigenous business professionals to serve as corporate and community role models.

Did you know?

  • Indigenous Australians are three times more likely to be unemployed than non-indigenous Australians.
  • Only one in seven Indigenous Australians are in highly skilled occupations.
  • Only 39% of young Indigenous people are engaged in any form of formal employment.

Since 2010, CareerTrackers has grown rapidly, and as of 2015 1,138 interns have engaged with 86 employers.

CareerTrackers is the vital link that ensures those form disadvantaged backgrounds have the guidance they need to successfully transition from a learning environment to a rewarding career. Their work is critical to developing strong Indigenous business leaders and creating generational change.

Download the CareerTrackers 2015 impact report profile for more information (PDF, 229KB)

Success

  • As of 2015, 1,138 interns have been engaged by 86 employers.
  • The program achieves a strong success rate of 89% of participants’ transitioning to full-time employment.
  • Over the six years of partnership with CareerTrackers, SVA contributed $301,677 in funding enabling CareerTrackers to establish itself as an organisation and now operate as a self-sustaining social enterprise.
  • Provided capacity building through leadership mentoring to CareerTrackers CEO as well as advice on governance and how to scale effectively.
  • Leveraged SVA’s networks to showcase CareerTrackers to key corporates who have been integral to their scale and providing ongoing employment opportunities for their participants.
  • Conducted an SROI that demonstrated that for every $1 invested in CareerTrackers, $4.40 is returned in value.
  • Nominated for 2013 Social Enterprise Innovation Award

SVA support

“SVA’s support of CareerTrackers has been critical from the start. SVA provided funding for us to become an organisation with employees, participants and supporters. Today, SVA is not just a funder, they are a partner, walking side by side through the rapid growth and development of CareerTrackers.”

Michael Combs, CEO

SVA partners with CareerTrackers to help them grow and scale to increase their impact and help even more young Indigenous people like Morgan follow their career aspirations.

CareerTrackers initially came to gain SVA’s support in 2010 through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations’ (DEEWR) Supporting Social Enterprises Project (SSEP). ). Through SSEP funding CareerTrackers recruited three staff members and began building corporate and university relationships with the aim of securing 28 internships: a target they significantly exceeded.

By the end of 2011, 125 internships had been secured and set the target of supporting 8% of Indigenous students enrolled in university by 2016: an estimated 1,000 students. They had also laid down strong foundations including assembling a start-up board, creating a constitution and establishing DGR status. SVA recognised the potential to create generational change and established a multi-year partnership with CareerTrackers in 2012.

SVA supported CareerTrackers with their national expansion and to become more financially self sustainable, particularly with developing a fundraising and stakeholder management strategy, organisational strategy, identifying & communicating impact, advocacy and thought leadership and program and intern development opportunities.

Share LinkedinFacebookTwitterEmail

You might also be interested in…

Related work

  • Handbook for Indigenous Employment

    A step-by-step guide for managers and supervisors who are on the frontline of hiring and retaining Indigenous staff.

  • Ganbina

    Ganbina empowers Indigenous communities in Australia to achieve true social and economic equality.

Related stories

  • Morgan Coleman’s story

    As an Indigenous kid growing up in regional Victoria, university was not on Morgan Coleman’s horizon, but CareerTrackers changed his life.

  • If we can do it, so can you…

    I have been disconnected from my culture, so applying for an internship with CareerTrackers is one of my first steps in trying to reconnect with my culture and with other Indigenous students and organisations.

Related News

  • SVA is delighted to be working with J.P. Morgan and CareerSeekers to provide support to professionally qualified humanitarian entrants to enter the skilled workforce in Australia.

From the SVA Quarterly

  • Indigenous employment: quality, not quantity

    Closing the gap in Indigenous employment will require sustainable opportunities that provide meaningful careers, says Adrian Appo. Only then will the numbers follow.
Back to top
Social Ventures Australia

Subscribe for insights and news from SVA and across the social sector

  • *
X Do not show this window again.

First Nations peoples should be aware that this website may contain the images, voices or names of people who have passed away.

Accept & continue
Social Ventures Australia

© 2022 Social Ventures Australia.

All rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Whistleblowing Policy

Voice Project Best Workplace 2021
  • SVA Consulting
    • Approach
    • Case studies
    • Consulting team
  • Impact Investing
    • Our services
    • Social impact funds
    • Impact Investing team
  • Programs and Ventures
    • Information for funders
    • The Connection
    • Young Children Thriving
  • Learning & Insights
    • SVA Quarterly
    • Policy and advocacy
    • SVA Fundamentals for Impact
    • Blog
    • News
    • Subscribe
  • About SVA
    • Team
    • Board and governance
    • Careers
    • Contact
    • Media
    • Financials
    • Donate
    • SVA Champions Network
    • Reconciliation Action Plan
  • Our work in
    • Early childhood
    • Education
    • Employment
    • First Nations
    • Housing
    • SVA Consulting: Disability
    • Mental Health
Linkedin Facebook Twitter YouTube Soundcloud
Contact us

Social Ventures Australia acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present, and emerging. We also accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.