Job Ready, Job Steady
A dozen indigenous job seekers just got full time employment through an Australian government Close the Gap initiative.
The unemployment rate in Australian is about six percent but a fifth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders don’t have jobs.
Indigenous job seekers face fewer opportunities because of widespread discrimination, higher rates of criminal history, and less access to education and training.
Government funded Vocational Training and Employment Centre – or VTEC – are helping job seekers overcome these hurdles.
There are 28 VTECs Australia wide. The Government has extended funding until July 2017 to $29 million for 2,500 jobs on top of an original $45 million for 5000 jobs.
The 12 new employees went through training with Marist Youth Care’s VTEC in Blacktown.
They were trained with the help of Spectra Training and Western Sydney TAFE and went on to work at various sites run by logistics company Linfox.