Given the Chance: Opening doors to diversity and secure work
Our Given the Chance employment program is working with a growing number of employers to get people into work. People like Raji, who migrated from India in 2017.
She has an engineering qualification and a Master of Business Administration, but found it hard to get a foot in the door in the Australian job market.
Raji loves her new job as an HR coordinator with construction company McConnell Dowell, the lead contractor for the Level Cross Removal Authority. ‘I have got a lot more confidence now. It is growing all the time. Life is beautiful for me now because of the Brotherhood,’ Raji said. The McConnell Dowell Western Alliance has employed four people via Given the Chance. HR manager, Sue Pel said working with the Brotherhood ‘makes it real’.
Given the Chance: Opening doors to diversity and secure work
‘The mentoring and support of the individual in the workplace, encouraging the conversations, watching growth and the having all the benefits of learning and sharing – these are all positive,’ she said. Melbourne’s iconic Hotel Windsor is one of over 500 employers the program works with to support people to find and keep jobs. At a breakfast hosted in kind by the hotel, Given the Chance participants spoke about how securing a job had transformed their lives.
Employee engagement coordinator Peter Flugge said more companies are embracing on-board labour hire, traineeship models and supported direct employment. ‘The benefits of having a diverse workforce are very well documented,’ Peter said. ‘We have large construction companies, health care agencies, government agencies and a range of medium sized enterprises across many industries who understand the huge value of employing jobseekers who reflect the communities they serve.’
‘We are working closely with companies involved in the West Gate Tunnel Project, Metro Tunnel and the Rail Level Crossing Removal projects, to support employment outcomes with extensive onboarding and post placement support.’ The Given the Chance program is supported by the Victorian Government through Jobs Victoria.