[Sub ID 4491] Guaranteed job opportunities after training (IBM)

Submission ID: 4491
Organisation name: IBM
Contact name: Mr Scott Cowans
State: WA
Contact email: scowans@au1.ibm.com
Contact number: 0405486981

Which priority group of the Try, Test and Learn Fund does your idea support?
Young carers, Young parents

What need or issue are you trying to address?
Young carers are often not able to complete studies beyond high school which leads to long term unemployment (LTU). Similarly, young parents often experience disruption to their education while caring for a child which increases the barriers to finding and keeping a job. This idea proposes an integrated solution to ensuring that young people who are most likely to enter, or already exist, in the young carer and young parent cohorts, are carefully matched to suitable jobs with tailored support to sustain employment while managing their home circumstances. To achieve work readiness, individuals need to be supported along a complex pathway that builds capacity to sustain employment. Many individuals in LTU are characterised by skills misalignment and yet, these skills issues are often amenable to intervention. Difficulties can arise due to mediating factors and without a clear diagnostic and prognostic assessment, the utility of interventions are compromised. Effective systems interventions must address multiple domains that mediate outcomes. In transitioning the most disadvantaged people from adverse circumstances to being work ready, it is important that support services are readily available to intervene when the ability to continue working becomes unsustainable, due to difficulties with family commitments, health issues and behavioural problems.

What is your idea?
Transitioning young disadvantaged people to meaningful, stable jobs requires a response that is coordinated across a range of service providers and potential employers, yet is individualised to each client and their values and goals regarding work. Therefore, the transition pathway needs to address both readiness of the individual and the impact of potential mediators, while identifying a job that is the right fit for the client. This transition pathway is complex and no single entity can deliver the total solution. Our consortium includes social services data analysis specialists who will work with the Department to identify appropriate subcohorts within the young parents and carers cohorts.

Our idea is to offer guaranteed job opportunities to selected members of these cohorts who successfully complete a tailored program of evidence-based education and training developed by our consortium members, with full support for their unique needs to ensure job retention. This job-matching solution will be enabled by an innovative, data-driven IT platform to ensure scalability and on-going support will be provided by carefully selected services made available through the consortium.

Our initial research indicates people who have been in foster care and are now young parents and/or young carers are an appropriate subcohort. We have included an organisation that runs managed foster care programs in our consortium to provide expertise around this group. However, we will confirm the subcohort in the joint development phase with the Department if successful.