MEDIA RELEASE: 19 APRIL 2005
PARTICIPATION RATE THE FOCUS OF NEW SALVATION ARMY EMPLOYMENT PLUS AND TASMANIA TOGETHER PARTNERSHIP
The Salvation Army Employment Plus and Tasmania Together today joined forces to pursue their common goals with the signing of a Partnership Agreement at the offices of Employment Plus.
The Partnership Agreement was launched by Robert Gavin, Area Manager for the Salvation Army Employment Plus, and Tasmania Together Progress Board Member Michael Kent AM.
The Salvation Army Employment Plus is committed to providing quality employment services to those most affected by unemployment. It has been assisting disadvantaged people to find employment for over 100 years and is the largest Job Network provider in Australia, with outlets in Burnie, Launceston, Rosny and Hobart.
Tasmania Together is a plan that evolved from a community vision gleaned from extensive input from institutions, individuals and communities around the State. The plan has 24 goals and 212 measurable benchmarks that are guiding progress to achieve all targets and goals by the year 2020.
As an initiative of the Partnership to Jobs Coalition, the Salvation Army Employment Plus last year joined with the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Tasmania Together to conduct the Working Together business breakfast. This aimed to find full-time work for 10 long-term unemployed and at last count had resulted in 17 people gaining employment.
Employment Plus went on to run the One hundred people working in one hundred working days campaign, which saw more than 1000 people placed into jobs by Christmas 2004 and more than 300 people no longer requiring income support.
Mr Gavin said: “Our partnership with Tasmania Together has contributed directly to reducing long-term unemployment in Tasmania, and Employment Plus wants to go on achieving this marvellous goal and contribute to the wider employment related goals of Tasmania Together. This includes increasing the participation rate of Tasmanians in employment.”
“Our capacity to assist people back into employment depends on the support of the Tasmanian business community. We have had tremendous support from employers to date and I want to thank all businesses who have worked with us.”
Mr Kent said: “Such coalitions and partnerships exemplify what Tasmania Together is all about – representatives from different sectors committed to working together to achieve common goals. It is this very coming together around shared goals that is helping to forge the community to which Tasmanians aspire.”
Today, the Salvation Army Employment Plus joins a growing group ofbusinessesand community organisations to become Tasmania Together’s 19th official partner.
“Connections made through partnerships such as this bring people together in a focussed and co-operative way and give us real opportunities to tackle the obstacles impeding progress and to achieve our goals,” Mr Kent said.
“Tasmania Together’s first five-year review will begin in August 2005. This will again give the community the opportunity to consider what’s changed in Tasmania and what’s missing from Tasmania Together or is no longer relevant and provide input to the plan. .”
Under the Partnership Agreement, the Salvation Army Employment Plus will be specifically working to achieve benchmarks including:
Standard 1.1To ensure that all Tasmanians have the economic capacity to enjoy a reasonable standard of living and access to basic services
Bmk 1.1.3 Long-term unemployed people
Goal 16 Increase job and meaningful work opportunities in Tasmania
Bmk 16.1.1Proportion of population in the workforce
Bmk 16.4.1:Number of vocational and tertiary graduates employed in Tasmania
For more information please contact: Simon Boughey, Tasmania Together, on 6233 3760 or 0419 871 824 or Rob Gavin, The Salvation Army Employment Plus, on 6210 7900 or 0418 323 762.