We predominantly work with people from a refugee background.
But anyone from a multicultural background is welcomed access our services.
We are Learn Local, very proudly Learn Local.
We're also quite unique I think,
in that we have a community development team
and we also have a cultural diversity team.
I have been trying to work with Spotless and heard
that they had some really big issues in their entry level positions.
They were losing staff and so I brokered the idea
of creating an opportunity with the GROW program.
And then because I have relationships with LCMS
and said, "let's get a program running."
So I went to the hospital and met with Petra
and some Spotless representatives and they just told me
what their plans were and asked me if I could help them to create a course
that would have those educational pathways with bringing community members
into the hospital as cleaners.
They gave me all of the information that they needed
and what their non-negotiables were with regards to training.
And then I took that away and created the course.
We touched base with Spotless.
We had project meetings, but I could be the voice of Spotless with LCMS
and be a higher touch with them and then report back to Spotless.
Part of my job role is working with community
and working with stakeholders to find those gaps and create
pre-accredited courses with those employment outcomes.
My role is to challenge the hiring organizations
to consider employees that they wouldn't
necessarily get through a SEEK advertising campaign.
I think Learn Local is just an amazing sector.
It is unique to Victoria.
It gives us the flexibility to be able to tailor make education
to community members, whether that's with an educational
pathway, people who want to improve their English
or whether that's with an employment pathway.
If other Learn Locals
or people are thinking to start their own Learn Locals out there
and they want to know
if being a Learn Local is for them, I would say to talk to the community
and see if there is a need within the community
and if there is, if they have the capacity to be able to
help them to fill that need.
If I look at the Bendigo
hiring organizations, this model has become the exemplar model.
Other hiring organizations are looking at this saying, "where
can we implement a version of this?" And so that's been the delight of the program.
Well, I think Learn Local at its core, is about community
and it's about keeping community at the center of everything you do.
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