[Sub ID 4806] Young students workshops (Fitted for Work)

Submission ID: 4806
Organisation name: Fitted for Work
Contact name: Ms Amanda Carlile
State: VIC
Contact email: amanda@fittedforwork.org
Contact number: 0396624289

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young students at risk of long-term unemployment

What need or issue are you trying to address?
This proposal is targeted at young female students who are receiving a study payment and who are at risk of transitioning to unemployment payments following completion of their studies or withdrawal from their study.

Young female students often fall through the gaps as they face multiple barriers to workforce participation including:

• Young women thrive in education yet this does not translate into employment which has a deep-seeded impact on confidence and self-esteem
• Lacking the necessary skills to navigate the complex job search environment
• Lacking the know-how to manage the more holistic factors including wellbeing, finances, mental health
• Lack of a consistent, central point of contact for support services leads to disengagement in education and/or job search

We witness the above daily in our work with women, where 18% of our clients are under the age of 25. We see how existing employment services and traditional recruitment models repeatedly fail this group. Young Women facing disadvantage are either ‘too hard’, too time consuming or not commercially attractive relative to other candidates to be taken on by traditional recruiters.

Our proposal aims to fill a critical gap left by traditional job placement organisations by connecting young female students with sustainable employment opportunities.

What is your idea?
A dual strategy bridging the critical gap in services for young female students which aims to:

1. Assist young women receiving study payments to transition into employment and gain financial independence by helping them gain the practical skills and confidence they need to get work and keep it.

2. Provide business partners with opportunities to engage with young students by leveraging our networks of potential employers bringing about increased employment opportunities.

This holistic program connects with young female students wherever they are at and journeys with them to sustainable employment and beyond by providing:

• Confidence building workshops
• Job seeking workshops
• Life-skills training including nutrition, mental wellbeing, finances
• Introduction to a trained mentor who works one-on-one with students
• Referral to SheWorks (social enterprise powered by Fitted for Work offering a consulting, recruitment and post-placement service for large organisations seeking to attract and retain more women) to link them to sustainable job opportunities
• Continued support from mentor post-placement to ensure young women can keep the work they have found

This model has the potential to break the cycle of disadvantage and generate true transformational change for the young students with a key focus on a sustainable outcomes, reducing reliance on Government funding.