Late last year the Burnie City Council welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement that a Mature Age Jobseekers program ‘Building Bridges’ would run in Burnie this year and well into 2021.
This project is part of the $96.1 million Try, Test and Learn Fund (an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Social Services) which includes trialling new or innovative approaches to assist older job seekers onto a path towards stable, sustainable independence.
The initial campaign was launched by the Burnie City Council earlier this year, but due to the COVID-19 disruption potential jobs became non-existent and all participants were grounded and isolating at home.
Now it is time to give this project a re-launch! With a new look!
For more information or to get involved, please contact:
Ms Kim Butler
Coordinator
Building Bridges – Burnie City Council
Mobile: 0490 552 285
Email: kbutler@burnie.net
Website: www.burnie.net/buildingbridges
The aim of the Building Bridges initiative is to improve employment opportunities and outcome’s for job-seekers aged 45+ in the Burnie region through a series of initiatives:
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| To mentor Job Seekers one on one to help them overcome any barriers and meet their upskilling needs. |
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To coach Job Seekers on the power of networking; joining local community groups and sports and walking groups to network and therefore, meet potential employers |
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| To raise awareness of the benefits of employing mature job-seekers to the Employers in Burnie |
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To link local employers with local mature age job seekers for a 4 week work experience placement(PDF, 145KB)
(with the potential to lead to permanent employment) |
The Building Bridges project focuses on outcomes such as
- increased confidence and networking skills for mature age job-seekers;
- increased workforce participation; and
- more positive employer perceptions of hiring mature age job seekers.
This program is a great example of a local community working with the Federal Government to design a program to meet local needs.
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| Employers can take on a job seeker for a maximum 4 week job placement (up to 25 hours per week) and may be eligible for other benefits plus the chance to “try before they buy” |
There is no obligation for the Employer to keep their job seeker in a permanent capacity! If the position is not ongoing the jobseeker has still gained added confidence, experience, a resume update and further networking |
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Incentives for Employer:
- May be eligible for $300 bonus
- May be eligible for wage subsidy if offering ongoing permanent placement
- Uniform costs, upskilling, insurances and pre-employment checks can be covered by the Jobactive Agency
- The business logo of the Employer can be placed on the Building Bridges (Council) website for marketing purposes (as Project support)
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The overarching aim of the project is to foster a greater awareness of the value of mature age jobseekers to employers and to build a greater number participating in employment in the Burnie region.
Another desired outcome for this Project is to create an App or a Mobile Website so that jobseekers can continue to access these services via their phone and/or laptop.
In this regard, Council could become an independent first point of contact/referral service for anyone current or new to Burnie to find out where to go to next – when they are job seeking in the Burnie Municipality.
Important message for local Employers to consider:
They are:
Experienced / Knowledgeable / Confident / Dependable / Hardworking / Respectful / Reliable / Punctual / Networked / Stable / Wise / Resilient / Life Skills / Patient / Dedicated