Long term unemployed, mature aged workers and parents returning to work are being prepped for job opportunities in the retail sector thanks to an initiative run by the ARA in conjunction with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).
The initiative, called the Retail Employment Pathways Program is funded by DEWR and run by the ARA’s Business Development and Training division. The focus of the program is to provide participants with training as well as work placements so they have the theoretical framework and the hands on experience to hit the ground running when entering the workforce.
“The program not only opens up real opportunities for those who have been out of the workforce for a while, but it also opens up new channels for retailers to fill vacancies” says Gary Terrill, Senior Retail Consultant from the ARA.
The entire program consists of five weeks of in-house training and work placement. In the participant’s first week, they undergo intensive training to prepare them for their first work placement in the following week. Host employers then provide trainers with some feedback on the trainee’s performance and the trainer works on the participant’s weak areas which might be preventing them from gaining employment. Once these weaknesses have been addressed, the participant is once again placed with their host employer for another week of on the job training.
According to Ross Valentine, Project Manager of the ARA Retail Employment Pathways Program, the strength of this initiative is that its structure enables participants to pinpoint their weak areas in a real life situation, address those problems, and then see how turning those weaknesses around can strengthen their employability in the workforce.
“Several retailers have commented that the turn around in attitude, work commitment and skills that they have seen in the second phase of work placement has been significant. In several cases host employers have hired the participant due to the dramatic changes seen.”
“We also conducted a program for indigenous people in Shepparton over November and December, which resulted in a large number of trainees gaining employment.”
Mr Valentine also said that retailers have really taken to parents and mature aged workers because they are so committed, reliable and trustworthy and overall the program has resulted in real employment opportunities.
In 2006, the initiative covered Shepparton, Geelong, Werribee, Melbourne’s northern suburbs and Melbourne’s western suburbs. So far in 2007 the project has covered Bendigo, Gippsland, and Frankston. The project commences in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs on April 16 and Dandenong on April 23.
