Sunshine Coast jobseekers find work after jobs projects

Seven of the jobseekers have completed 16 weeks of full-time paid work coordinated through Community Solutions and six others have undertaken 16-week work placements, job search and literacy training through a project run by Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre Inc.

Both organisations were funded through the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek said six of the Community Solutions project group were mature-aged and, despite life experience, some were lacking in confidence or finding it an uphill battle to convince employers to hire them.

“All of these people really wanted to work and were prepared to become involved in projects like these to increase their opportunities,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Their participation has not only provided them with some paid work but also given them the opportunity to show what they’re capable of, update their skills in sectors that are crying out for staff, and regain some confidence.”

“Five women on the Community Solutions project took on administration roles with local host employers in the Bokarina area and the two men chose horticulture positions for their paid work placement training.

“Although they only graduate this week, one of the women now has a traineeship in administration with Community Solutions, another has found a full-time job with a Nambour company and one of the men has secured 30 hours a week work with a local Coolum family company.

“Another participant developed the confidence to apply for a university course and will begin a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) at the Sunshine Coast University in the mid-year intake.”

Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson praised the work of the Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre and this project which was designed to help give migrants and other participants from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds a brighter future in Australia.

“This project is a stepping stone to help people who are actively looking for work to gain valuable experience with various organisations including community groups, local and state government offices,” Ms Simpson said.

“I’m pleased to hear that some of the participants have been successful in gaining paid employment as a result of these projects.”　　　

Community Solutions Coordinator Donna Hammett said it was rewarding to see participants’ confidence grow as they developed new skills and contacts during the projects.

“One of our graduates went for a job interview this week and we’ll continue to support all of our participants in coming months to help them find jobs or settle in to employment,” Mrs Hammett said.

“A key role for us is to keep them positive because it sometimes can take several interviews before a jobseeker is hired, and they’ve all showed through this project that they have what it takes to be a valuable employee.”

Maroochy Neighbourhood Centre Manager Michael Henning said graduates now had transferable skills, current work experience and would be prepared for employment in a range of industries.

“The benefit to the wider community is that our program enables new migrants to contribute their expertise and skills to the community rather than take low-paying jobs,” Mr Henning said.

“It helps these highly-skilled jobseekers to enter the Australian workforce with a view to moving back towards their previous professions.”

The Community Solutions informal graduation will be held at 3.30 pm at 100 Sportsmans Parade, Bokarina.