[Sub ID 4769] Workforce Development Initiative (Skill Bridge Employment & South Sudanese Community Association in Victoria Inc.)
Submission ID: 4769
Organisation name: Skill Bridge Employment & South Sudanese Community Association in Victoria Inc.
Contact name: Ms Natalina Makuet
State: VIC
Contact email: staff.skillbridge@gmail.com
Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young parents, Young students at risk of long-term unemployment
What need or issue are you trying to address?
1. Victoria has one of the largest South Sudanese Community members, whose majority are individuals aged 25 years and below.
2. This group faces many challenges within the broader Australian community, e.g. have lower education level (school drop-out), high number of teenage pregnancy, crime, lack of parental/ guardian support, unemployment, making this group highly dependent on welfare.
3. This group does not have the training, skills and experience required by the employers and as the result they are locked out of gaining employment.
4. Due to their refugee experience and settlement challenges they lack life skills such as, communication skills, teamwork, goals setting, problems solving and how to be a responsible student/employee/citizen.
5. Inter-generational conflict – sometimes parents want children to learn English and gain an education – but may not want them to adopt western values. Young people may lead two lives.
6. Discrimination – A research by La Trope & Griffith Universities found “African students from refugee backgrounds who faced racial discrimination found it harder to co-exist socially with the mainstream population because of the feeling of being excluded from the society.” & “racial prejudices targeted at students from refugee backgrounds are likely to affect their settlement and educational outcomes in Australia” – directly affecting jobs prospect.
What is your idea?
We call our idea the “Workforce Development Initiative”.
1. Training – providing young people with life skills that will help them stay at school and are highly desired by employers. We will call this “the life skill club” to be run after school & as employment orientation program, pre-employment. These include:
- Self-confidence
- Conflict management
- Career planning
- Job preparation
- Social responsibility
- Communication
- Respect
- Project planning (for innovative young people & entrepreneurs)
- Workplace readiness
2. Training the trainers – Cross cultural training to TAFE/Vocational trainers.
3. Training in skills that are needed – after assessing the labour market, the young people get to be trained in skills for viable jobs e.g. trade jobs, dental assistance, banking, hospitality, etc.
4. Work and liaised closely with employers in sourcing and placing young people into long term employment. Cross cultural training on how to deal with young people from CALD background.
5. Provide multilingual workers to work with/within relevant employment areas and at specifics industries, to provide “buffer” for conflict arising due misunderstanding or possible cultural clash & help employers with retention of their employees.
6. Program will have grassroots approach to issues and addressing them accordingly. The young people will be treated as partners, their priorities, interests, insights & leadership will be considered and expanded upon to harness the power of youth – youth relation to reach more people & effectively run the program; hence have straight based approach.
7. In-depth Career guidance and employment path-ways.
8. Childcare for young parents, so young persons can fully commit to the program.
9. Homework/tuition classes for young students.
10. Flexible approach – Adapted to build youth’s skills in various settings & formats.