|
REDFERN-WATERLOO EMPLOYMENT AND ENTERPRISE PLAN
The RWA’s employment
and enterprise development strategy is a
critical component of the overall Redfern-Waterloo
Plan, along with the Human Services and
the Built Environment Plans. The strategy
has been developed to ensure that the employment
opportunities being created in the area
both current and future are available to
the local communities of Redfern, Waterloo,
Darlington and Eveleigh.
The
Employment and Enterprise Plan seeks
to provide opportunities for wealth creation
for the local community, through empowering
those people that can work to create their
own wealth through meaningful employment
or enterprise development.
The Employment and Enterprise
strategy will be focused initially on:
- Increasing supply of employment opportunities,
particularly through increasing potential
for commercial and residential development.
- Capitalising on the research/Biomedical
Innovation Zone.
- Improving education and training including
a dedicated vocational training centre,
to provide people with the opportunities
to gain access to well paid work.
- Strengthening partnerships with local
employers.
- Industry based employment strategies.
- Employment and enterprise strategies
for Aboriginal people and youth.
- Supporting local business
Whilst the plan is ambitious, the Authority
has already in place significant education
and employment strategies for the construction
and hospitality industries with particular
emphasis on opportunities for Aboriginal
people (see below for more information on
these strategies).
The plan draws on earlier work with the
Authority’s partners from industry
groups, group employment companies, job
network providers, local schools and universities,
employment services, vocational training
providers and enterprise development agencies.
The overwhelming response to the Employment
and Enterprise Plan has been positive
and significant new partnerships with industry
are currently being developed in those industries
identified as having skill shortages, in
order to maximise the job opportunities
in these industries for locals.
How the Plan was developed
In October 2005 the RWA developed an initial
Discussion Paper on Employment and Enterprise.
The paper was distributed to the RWA Board
and the Employment and Enterprise Ministerial
Advisory Committee. The Ministerial Advisory
Committee is made up of community and government
representatives with an expertise in employment.
Following feedback from these groups, a
draft Employment and Enterprise Plan was
developed.
Community Consultation
on Draft Plan
The RWA has sought to identify those people
in the community that are interested in
employment and enterprise. We have done
this through the RWA’s website registration,
mailing list registration and individuals
who have contacted the Authority to register
their interest.
The Draft Plan was put on public exhibition
for community consultation from December
12 2005 to February 28 2006. The Draft Plan
was posted to people who had expressed an
interest in employment and enterprise, community
members, local NGO’s and Government
agencies.
The Authority’s staff met with numerous
individuals, community and industry organisations
to discuss the Draft Plan and seek their
feedback over the 2 month consultation period.
The Plan was also placed on the Redfern-Waterloo
Authority website and was advertised through
the January Redfern-Waterloo Update, the
RWA’s regular community newsletter
which is distributed to approximately 15,000
residences in the area. In addition, interested
community members called the RWA offices
and had the Draft Plan posted to them.
Eighteen submissions were received, with
three being received after submissions had
closed. The submissions received included
five from NGO’s; four from residents;
five from government departments and four
from elected members of parliament or council.
The majority of respondents were supportive
of the plan but wanted particular issues
highlighted or strengthened in the final
plan as follows:
- supply of childcare provision;
- employment & education opportunities
for mature age people;
- support for small business and enterprise
development;
- coordination with local service providers;
- mismatch between future job opportunities
and the capability of the local community;
- ensure the employment meets the needs
of residents, and is meaningful employment;
- acknowledge that a concentration of
people in the Redfern-Waterloo area are
not able to work as they are well past
working age, are ill or have high level
of disabilities or other health issues;
and
- addressing the specific employment needs
of culturally and linguistically diverse
residents (CALD) and disabled residents.
In response to the consultation feedback,
the Draft Plan was enhanced to include:
- More detailed information on the profile
of local people on income support, including
the finding that 62.5% of people on income
support are receiving aged or disability
support pensions.
- Highlighting the large concentration
of people in the area who are unable to
participate in the labour market due to
age or ill health.
- Clarification that the Authority’s
Plan is based on the creation of meaningful
work, and ensuring improvement to education
and training to provide access to this
work.
- Strengthening the skills audit to capture
information on individual’s career
preferences.
- Clarification that the Plan adequately
addresses the needs of people from culturally
and linguistically diverse backgrounds,
sole parents and people with a disability.
- Investigating the benefits of having
the Redfern-Waterloo area designated as
an enterprise zone to offer targeted payroll
tax concessions to new or expanding small
businesses when linked to a company’s
employment and training strategy.
- The recommendation from the Human Services
Plan to increase local, culturally appropriate
and affordable childcare by 100 positions
for children living in Redfern-Waterloo.
- Strengthening the vocational training
needs of mature aged people in the community.
- Strengthening the details on the Authority’s
training centre at North Eveleigh.
- Highlighting the benefits of the community’s
involvement in local markets, including
the potential for cultural industries
development.
- Providing more detail on the cultural
awareness program to support local businesses
and strengthen the relationship between
local residents and employers, including
ongoing training and mentoring.
The final plan was approved by the Minister
for Redfern-Waterloo on 19 May 2006.
IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE PLAN - UPDATE
Improving Education And
Training Opportunities For Local Residents
The RWA has delivered on its $750,000 commitment
in establishing the Yaama Dhiyaan Training
College at North Eveleigh.
The College is now a hive of activity with
the Certificate II in Hospitality (Operations)
course being taught at the Yaama Dhiyaan
Hospitality Training & Function Centre
upstairs; and the 8 week Koori Job Ready
Construction course being taught at the
Les Tobler Construction Training Centre
on the ground floor.
The RWA also has a partnership with Alexandria
Park Community School to develop projects
that strengthen education outcomes as well
as link with vocational education opportunities.
These include providing work experience
for students at Yaama Dhiyaan Hospitality
Training and Function Centre; and various
construction projects at the school that
link with the training centre at North Eveleigh
and the job opportunities being created
in the area.
Local Business Needs Survey
As part of the RWA’s on-going commitment
to improving business and employment opportunities
in the Redfern-Waterloo area, the RWA conducted
an Employment Opportunities survey of local
businesses in late 2006/early 2007.
The major findings of the survey were:·
- There is a decline in industrial land
in the Redfern-Waterloo area, as the land
is converted to residential.
- A majority of the businesses on Regent
and Redfern Streets are small, family-owned
businesses and therefore have limited
employment opportunities.
- The southern part of the operational
area has the majority of the employment
opportunities. The major employment opportunities
are in transport, logistics and warehousing.
Industry Based Employment Strategies
The first industries that the Redfern-Waterloo
Authority is focussing on to create job
opportunities for locals are the construction
and hospitality industries. The RWA is also
developing a strategy for transport and
logistics, due to the outcomes of the business
needs survey. At a later stage, the RWA
will look at employment strategies for the
following industries:
- commercial cleaning;
- information technology;
- services;
- cultural.
Employment
in the Construction Industry
The RWA and the Construction
Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)
have signed a 10 year Jobs Compact agreement
to work together with employers to create
real jobs and training for unemployed Aboriginal
people.
The Minister for Redfern-Waterloo
and the CFMEU officially launched the Jobs
Compact on 12 May 2005 at North Eveleigh.
The deal requires all contracts
for construction on State-owned land in
Redfern-Waterloo to include tougher provision
and support aimed at increasing on-site
work and training opportunities for Aboriginal
people.
The RWA has developed an
Indigenous employment model for use in the
construction industry that expands on the
Jobs Compact with the CFMEU.
The model delivers a streamlined
recruitment, training and employment path
for head contractors, coordinating:
- Recruitment;
- Training;
- Apprenticeships;
- Group employment; and
- Mentoring.
The RWA has developed partnerships with
the agencies involved in delivering services
to the employment model. The partners are:
- TAFE NSW;
- CFMEU;
- New Apprenticeship Centres- My Gateway
and BWAC;
- My Gateway Group Employment and Training;
- Job Network Providers;
- AES
The RWA has negotiated over 75 jobs for
Aboriginal people on the construction projects
that have commenced since the RWA was set
up. Another 100 will be created over the
coming 18 months.
These numbers will continue to increase
as more projects come online at the Australian
Technology Park, North Eveleigh and other
sites within the RWA area.
The trades that these positions/apprenticeships/traineeships
are in include:
- Electrical;
- Construction carpentry;
- Plumbing;
- Boiler making;
- Scaffolding;
- Painting;
- Brick laying;
- Fire sprinkler fitting;
- Sheet metal works;
- Labouring; and
- Landscaping.
EMPLOYMENT
IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY – YAAMA
DHIYAAN COLLEGE
Yaama Dhiyaan is a Hospitality Training
college and Function Centre that specialises
in modern Australian cuisine using Indigenous
produce and flavours. It is a unique cross-cultural
educational experience that focuses on providing
hospitality training with an emphasis on
practical work experience in the Yaama Dhiyaan
Function Centre.
Aboriginal elder and caterer Aunty Beryl
Van-Oploo and exciting young Aboriginal
chef Mathew Cribb have formed a partnership
with RWA to set up a world-class cross-cultural
training and employment program in Indigenous
Australian cuisine.
This training is open to all unemployed
people who want a career in the hospitality
industry. The students are linked up with
major hospitality employers towards the
end of the training.It is located within
the Redfern Waterloo Authority’s new
North Eveleigh precinct at 255 Wilson Street
Darlington.
Aboriginal
Businesses in the Construction Industry
Part of the conditions
for contractors on Government-owned land
includes the contractor having to invite
Aboriginal businesses in the construction
industry to tender for works.
The following is a list
of Indigenous owned and operated businesses
in the construction industry in NSW. To
view, click on the link below:
Aboriginal
building companies (pdf ~77kb)
If you would like to register
another Indigenous owned and operated construction
business, please email the details of the
business to indigenousenterprise@rwa.nsw.gov.au
BUSINESS
ADVICE SERVICES
The RWA has set up two business advice
services that operate from the RWA office
in Redfern:
- The Aboriginal Business Service
assists any Aboriginal person who has
an idea for a business and would like
to know where to start, or who has an
existing business and requires further
assistance.
- The Redfern-Waterloo Enterprise
Service has been set up to assist
any resident of Redfern, Waterloo, Eveleigh
or Darlington who is interested in setting
up a business.
Both of these services are FREE, ONE-ON-ONE
& CONFIDENTIAL. You will meet with an
experienced and qualified business professional
that can help on a range of business issues
including:
- Business Planning
- Understanding regulations
- Financing· Management skills
- Marketing and market research
- Mentor support
Call 9202-9100 to book in a time to meet
with the business advisor.
The Redfern-Waterloo Authority is offering
these services in Redfern in partnership
with the Department of State and Regional
Development. |
