Partnership opens doors to Aboriginal jobs
On a cold and wet Mabo day in Melbourne, 120 people stepped out for the annual Northern Indigenous Employment (NIE) Getting on with Business, Employing Indigenous Peoplereconciliation week event.
A milestone event of the NIE working group, a multi-award winning community partnership made up of Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal representativesfromemployment, training, local Government, education, health, youth, community, media and advocacy organisations across Melbourne’s north.
Gathering under the roof of peak Aboriginal body, Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Ltd (VACSAL), people came from as far as Mildura and Shepparton to hear stories of Aboriginal employment success, Indigenous disability in the workplace and Koorie Justice recruitment programs.
The stars of the AFL Sportsready Program, Ralph White and Kyle Vander-Kuyp kicked things off with success storiesbeyond the sports field, speaking of anew exciting Artsready Program set to launch in the near future.
Katrina Beer, Managing Director of the YanikanWerritjVocational Training and Education Centre in Ballaratshared inspirational stories of people finding employment and making small steps towards powerful life changes. She reminded us of the importance of community and spoke of her value for partners and mentors.
The fellas from Melbourne Rebels Rugby Union, Jeremy Nikora and Uncle Pat Farrant backed this up with their club’s success stories of engaging young Indigenous job seekers, helping to motivate them to get work ready and partnering with Employers committed to giving young people a go!
Aboriginal Mental Health Trainer, AJ Williams from Mental Health First Aid Australia (AMHFA) had the audience in stitches with his brilliantly wicked sense of humour, something he says helps when discussing the harsh realities of Aboriginal disadvantage and the mental load Aboriginal employees carry in comparison to their Non-Aboriginal colleagues.
John Baxter from the First People’s Disability Network shared his deadly life story from a foster home in Donvale to being a community leader and proud grandparent.
Audience members heard from Robert Britten from the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc (VAEAI) on the launch of a new research project set to improve pathways to education, employment and services for Koorie students with disabilities.
Alarming, honest and confronting statistics on Indigenous incarcerationwere presented by Ian Berry from Corrections Victoria – who stressed the importance of partnerships in reducing recidivism and creating positive pathways withinAboriginal communities.
To top things off, audiences were able to speed network with a group of deadly (awesome) Indigenous employees, each at various points in their careers.
In all, these speakers combined with a warm Welcome to Country from Wurundjeri elder, Georgina Nicholson, an Indigenous cultural awareness activity run by Kangan Institute’s Indigenous Education Centre (IEC) and some lively banter from Master of Ceremony, Gary Hansen – meant for a true celebration of Indigenous employment.
A day of Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people coming together, not just under the banner of reconciliation, but for the sake of sharing our collective success and for an opportunity to talk openly and honestly about what works for Aboriginal people in the workplace.
To the NIE group’s credit, the Getting on with Business, Employing Indigenous People event has successfully created an avenue for new partnerships to be forged and a space where employers and Aboriginal job seekers alike have a “go to place” where the door to each other’s world is open and the bridgefrom community to a job is safe and inviting.