AEC sources 1944 sustainable job commitments in three months

 The Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) is forging strongly ahead with its commitment to foster large-scale sustainable employment for Indigenous workers, sourcing 1944 job opportunities in the three months to the end of February, 2011.

 AEC Chief Executive Officer Rhonda Parker said the program was delighted with the response from Australian employers who had offered the high number of job placements from December to February, traditionally a quiet recruitment period.

 “It is indeed very encouraging to see Australian employers tuned into of the benefits of an Indigenous employment program and the AEC offering it their full support during what is normally a slow time of year for job sourcing,’’ Ms Parker said.

 This latest raft of job offers demonstrates that the AEC is achieving clear and encouraging outcomes for Indigenous Australians, with commitments spanning the full spectrum of industries including retail, manufacturing, mining, health and education.

 “The program is approaching 28,000 job commitments from employers including the Port Adelaide Football Club, Macmahons, KFC, Linfox and Fortescue Metals,” Ms Parker said

 “Australian employers have been tremendous in their support, with a total of 221 businesses signing up to the program.

 “Just this week, major mining and engineering company Downer EDI weighed in as an AEC employer, offering 200 job commitments,’’ she said.

In partnership with the Australian Government, Australian employers and Indigenous people, the 50,000 jobs campaign represents a major commitment to the future of Indigenous Australians.

Offering opportunity rather than welfare, it now provides the potential for tens of thousands of Indigenous job seekers to embark on a clear pathway to employment and the ability for them to reach their full potential.

Ms Parker said the program was on track to achieve its stated goal of 50,000 sustainable Indigenous jobs.

 So far more than 4200 workers had found sustainable employment under the program, with Ms Parker clarifying the fact that the AEC was not a job placement agency.

“The AEC is using its collective powers to secure the job commitments and because we are not a job agency, if an employer recruits an Indigenous person into their ranks and doesn’t tell us, it doesn’t get reported, so in reality we believe the number of placed workers to be considerably higher.

  “We do know that of the thousands of people who have found work, the majority are sticking at it, with the job placements that have been reported back to us showing a current retention rate at about 75%,’’ she said.

 Ms Parker said every job commitment counted toward the great challenge to end Indigenous disadvantage through real, sustainable employment and has encouraged companies big and small to help make a difference.