REMOTE NEWSApril 2013

A bi-monthly newsletter on training and employment successes in Australia’s remote Indigenous communities.

Graffiti Art Project Shows Anything Is PossibleJobfind and Mirndiyan Gununa Art Centre in Mornington Island have undergone a bright and exciting makeover thanks to a talented group of

Jobfind job seekers.

The Graffiti Art Project was held as what was supposed to be a one off project run in collaboration with Jobfind and the Mirndiyan Gununa Art Centre. Eight job seekers, both young and mature aged participated, working over five days to plan, design and produce the graffiti artwork at both Jobfind Centre and the Mirndiyan Youth Hub, which is part of the Art Centre.

The project began slowly but quickly gained momentum as the job seekers began showcasing their work. Soon local people began talking about it and before long other members of the community were contributing to the artwork as well!

The Mirndiyan Gununa Art Centre has

been so impressed with the work of the job seekers that they have approached Jobfind to assist them transfer old film they have of the centre into digital footage. Jobfind is now preparing to commence a Certificate II in Digital Media specifically tailored for the youth of the community.

“The joy and the excitement that was felt around this project and the sense of contributing positively to the community was a sight to behold,” says Tracey Phillips, Jobfind’s Remote Employment and Training Advisor.

“The highlight for me was seeing the involvement and participation of the young job seekers that took part in this project as they haven’t been exposed to a lot by way of careers paths and haven’t had the opportunity to see different employing industries. This project has not only given the young job seekers the opportunity to discover where their interests lie, it has given myself and the team at Jobfind increased awareness of what we need to do to develop their pathways to employment.”

Above: Graffiti Art Project Participants.

QLD

Mornington Island

THIS ISSUE

1 Graffiti Art Project Shows Anything Is Possible

2 Job Seeker Nikita Becomes a Jobfind Mentor

2 Albertu Getting Down to Business At Coles

3 The Hon Bill Shorten MP commends Jobfind’s Work

3 Participants Documenting Their Career Success

4 Participants Laying Foundations for the Future

4 Kuranda Job Seekers On the Path to Employment

11300 360 562www.jobfindcentre.com.au

2

Job Seekers Upgrade

Job Seeker Nikita Becomes a Jobfind MentorTwenty year-old Nikita has been actively engaging with Jobfind CDEP in Hope Vale, in Far North Queensland since early July 2011. During this time, with the assistance of the

CDEP team, Nikita has carefully selected a number of courses to help her build new

skills and abilities. Her commitment and willingness to learn has resulted in Nikita securing a role within Jobfind CDEP Hope Vale as a Community Services Mentor.

Nikita was mentored by the team at Jobfind CDEP Hope Vale over a twelve month period, completing a large range of training programs including a Certificate I and II in Work Readiness, Certificate II

in Community Service Work and Microsoft Basics. Nikita also participated in the Cape York Super Sisters program, a female mentor program led by acclaimed Indigenous advocate and former Young Australian of the Year, Tania Major; and the Recruitment Outcome mentoring program which has allowed her to identify the skills, knowledge and support she has available to her to assist

her to achieve her employment goals.

Nikita began her role at Jobfind as CDEP Community Services Mentor at the beginning of October 2012. Her role includes supervising the Hope Vale Sewing and Arts Project, as well as mentoring participants in training programs. Susan Rainbow, CDEP Training & Employment Manager says, “Nikita has become a young role model for others in her community. I have watched Nikita struggle with herself and the rest of the world; now I watch her embracing the values and morals of Jobfind, not only as an employee, but a proud leader and teacher within her community. She has found herself within her role and has grown to become a confident staff member who is on a learning journey.”

Nikita adds, “As part of the Jobfind CDEP staff family I have had a chance to learn, teach other people about respect for themselves, and help others understand the importance of belonging in the whole community.”

What your local Jobfind offers

Jobfind provides services to both job seekers and employers. Here is a list of services your local Jobfind offers.

Comprehensive Assistance:Facilities: Free access to telephones and computers for job seekers.

Local advice: We’re experts on local job seekers and employers.

Clothing: We can help job seekers with required clothing and uniform costs.

Licenses/tickets: we can help job seekers obtain and pay for these.

We promote YOU: We talk to employers on behalf of our job seekers.

State-of-the-Art Training: LearnNow: over 250 online skills courses, many of them accredited.

Budda-Jitja: pre-employment training for Indigenous people.

A Day In the Life: interactive online courses that show what it’s like to work in different jobs and industries.

Ready4Work: individualised workshops to help job seekers become ‘job ready.’

Ready2Go: personalised workshops focused on life skills.

Job search skills and Interview techniques courses

Other training: Jobfind can help with enrolment in other local courses

Work Experience: Offers real-life experience in a variety of jobs.

Post-Placement Support:Financial assistance for employers: Jobfind can help employers with training and equipment costs, as well as wage subsidies.

Mentoring: After they’re placed in a job, we stay in touch with our job seekers and their employer to make sure they’re doing well and to help with any concerns either party might have.

For more information about Jobfind visit our website at www.jobfindcentre.com.au or contact you nearest Jobfind centre.

Above: Jobfind’s Community Services Mentor Nikita.

QLD

Hope Vale

Nationwide

3

In a recent letter, The Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for E m p l o y m e n t and Workplace Relations, praised Jobfind Centres

Australia (Jobfind) for its commitment to improving employment and job prospects for unemployed Indigenous Australians through its delivery of Job Services

Australia, Disability Employment Services, Community Development Employment Projects and Indigenous Employment Programs.

After receiving the January edition of Remote News, the Hon Bill Shorten was particularly pleased to learn of the achievements of job seeker Bevan Chong, a local of Mornington Island.

Bevan approached Jobfind with the goal of increasing his employment

opportunities with contractors. To further his skills and boost his options, Jobfind supported his participation in a Certificate II in Construction (Fencing). His dedicated work ethic resulted in Northern Skills Alliance nominating him for the Queensland Rural Industry Training Council (QRITC) Awards in two categories. Bevan travelled to Brisbane to attend the awards ceremony and whilst he did not win he

was extremely proud to be both a finalist and have completed his Certificate II in Construction.

Jobfind are encouraged to have received recognition and support from the Minister and his Department, and will continue to deliver the best service solutions to improve Indigenous employment opportunities.

For more information on the QRITC Awards visit http://qritc.org.au

The Hon Bill Shorten MP commends Jobfind’s work

,

Participants Documenting Their Career SuccessEight job seekers from the small Far North Queensland town of Coen have been enjoying their Certificate II in Creative Studies (Media) course with Jobfind so much that many of them

are making their own way to the centre before their mentors have even done their pick-ups each morning!

Of the eight participants, six of the students are aged between 17 and 20 years. The twelve-week course, set to be completed this month, focuses on developing skills and knowledge in presenting, collecting and organising content for broadcasting or publication, recording and editing sound. The course has covered various subjects including filming short movie clips, sound recordings and short animation clips. The class documented a range of activities and

areas, with films being shot at local areas such as The Bend, and capturing activities like traditional dilly bag weaving.

“Many of the participants in this course are male and it is great to see some of our boys being so engaged in this project. Recently the class went to The Bend to do some filming for their short movie clips. This footage produced some great clips and all of the participants are so proud of their work,” says Marty Chambers, Jobfind’s CDEP Manager.

“All week we had heads popping into the office and asking if we would all like to see their work. We have even had people wanting to put extra time in because they

are enjoying it so much. There are a few weeks remaining in this training course and it would be great to see this enthusiasm carry through all the way to the end.”

QLD

Coen

QLD

Mornington Island

Above: Bevan hard at work.

Above: Course Participants filming a short movie clip.

Above: Bevan receiving his certificate.

4 1300 360 562www.jobfindcentre.com.au

Participants Laying Foundations for the FutureIn collaboration with the Baptist Bush Church, Jobfind Humpty Doo are successfully running a twelve-week Certificate II in Building and Construction to build accommodation for homeless youth as part of a Work for the Dole Project.

The eight course participants include a range of Stream 2, 3 and 4 job seekers, with four Early School Leavers (ESL). One of the ESL participants had previously been unemployed for 57 weeks, and moved to Humpty Doo from interstate four weeks prior to the course commencing.

Having gained employment, he is now leaving the course.

Jobfind funded the RTO accomodation for the Certificate II, and provided clothing and PPE. Jobfind also assisted participants with transport, a major obstacle for the ESL participants, by providing bikes with which to travel to and from the course. A mentor from the Bush Church was also on hand to assist the job seekers.

“Just a few weeks into the course and we are already seeing full attendance and some very happy job seekers. I am very happy with the progress of this activity and thank the Bush Church for partnering with Jobfind on many successful projects in our community,” said Jobfind’s Area Manager Robyn Bott.

Seven job seekers from Kuranda, North Queensland are ready to take on upcoming work opportunities with QBuild, having completed a Certificate II in Construction

Pathways with Angus Knight Learning, Ngoonbi Housing Cooperative and the local Kuranda church.

QBuild – a leading provider of construction and maintenance services in Queensland – has been in partnership with Jobfind to provide participants with employment, traineeships and apprenticeships in the construction industry.

Having had past success with Jobfind participants, QBuild advised Jobfind of potential employment prospects for job seekers in the construction field; opportunities Jobfind was keen to fill with its enthusiastic candidates.

Keen to build the capacity of local job seekers to take advantage of these opportunities, Jobfind selected seven eager Indigenous job seekers from Kuranda and provided targeted pre-employment training to prepare and up-skill them for local openings with QBuild.

All seven job seekers were experiencing

disadvantage and entered the workforce as unemployed participants with limited job skills and language, numeracy and literacy. Through applied and industry-specific learning, the trainees boosted their skills in measurement taking and calculations, and reading plans and construction drawings. All were successful in obtaining their white cards, developing their knowledge of workplace safety, and industry-specific language. They also developed soft-skills like time management and effective communication, to assist a smooth transition from unemployment to work in the construction industry.

Throughout the course, Jobfind’s Indigenous Mentors assisted participants to address barriers to their success, provided emotional support and employment guidance, and enabled participation by transporting job seekers to and from the site for the course’s duration.

Since the successful completion of their training, Jobfind continues to work with the participants and QBuild to secure their pathway

into local construction opportunities. All participants are looking forward to commencing employment with QBuild in construction.

“This pre-employment training is a vital step along the employment pathway,” said Ross Furnari, Jobfind Cairns’ Business Manager.

For job seekers looking for support in the job-hunting process to be trained, skilled, supported and primed, ready for local construction jobs, is a great outcome for all involved. Jobfind will maintain its support and advocate for the employment of these job seekers in the weeks prior to QBuild commencing construction in Kuranda.

Kuranda Job Seekers On the Path to Employment

NT

Humpty Doo

QLD

Kuranda

Above: Participants in Certificate II for Construction (Fencing).

From Left: Participants Wayne, Daleighla and Johnny.