Just The Facts

Sustaining Diversity Initiatives through Organisational Change
Changes in global labour markets and the workplace environment are compelling organisations to improve their capacity to attract, retain and develop workers from diverse backgrounds. Yet, despite best intentions many wonderful diversity and inclusion initiatives have been lost or shelved due to operational pressures, lack of resources or “diversity champions” leaving the organisation.

Diversity@Work has recognised that transactional consultancy is not necessarily enough to maintain momentum on many of the strategic imperatives of medium to large organisations. Therefore, as a key strategy to support our clients to achieve their goals and targets, we are very excited to launch our Diversity Partnerships division.

Diversity Partnerships provides an outsourced mechanism by which your organisation can access a dedicated “internal” diversity capacity, thereby capitalising on your emotional, intellectual and financial investment.

Positioned within your office, our Diversity Partner will gain an intimate understanding of your business, thereby providing real capacity to support strategic goals. Your Diversity Partner will be fully supported by Diversity@Work resources, including: strategy, analysis, reporting and best practice models, thereby ensuring absolute contemporary diversity capacity within your business.

If you would like to find out more about how Diversity Partnerships can support you to achieve and maintain focus on your strategic imperatives, please contact Justine Murphy on 03 9608 0900 or justine@diversityatwork.com.au

50,000 Jobs for Aborigines over the Next Two Years
It is often said that the private sector should be taking more proactive steps to alleviate current employment gaps within the market.  Andrew Forrest, CEO of Fortescue Metals Group, has responded to national labour shortages by shifting job creation away from the government and into the corporate arena.  The Australian Employment Covenant is an ambitious private sector initiative with the intention of providing 50,000 jobs, skills training and on-the-job mentoring to Indigenous Australians over the next two years.  Forrest is currently calling for employers to be bold in participating in the program which aims to support Indigenous Australians to transition out of welfare and step into permanent full time paying roles. The Federal Government has pledged its support in supplying training while businessman James Packer has already agreed to employ 500 Aborigines as a part of his commitment.
Source: www.theage.com.au and www.pm.gov.au/media/Release/2008/media_release_0394.cfm

$2.6m to Fund New Disability Job Placements
The Federal Government has pledged $2.6 million in funding to assist 278 newly supported employment places for people with a disability.  The focus is on providing meaningful employment opportunities, with roles from a variety of different businesses, ranging from hospitality to food manufacturing to property maintenance.  Not only is this a chance to engage with an untapped workforce, but it also supports a business case need for addressing key gaps within the Australian business environment.  The new services will target people with psychiatric disability, young people with disability and Indigenous people with disability.
Source: www.facsia.gov.au

Just The Facts: Editon 01/09/2008