Peel employment experts have expressed optimism for the future and toasted to a successful launch of the federal government’s $1 million Peel region employment trial.
After a downturn in the mining industry, the coalition introduced the nation-wide trial in regions struggling to grapple with surging unemployment rates. The Peel was one of 10 disadvantaged regions picked across Australia.
Parallel to that news came the appointment of Mandurah-Murray employment facilitator Maryanne Baker.
Since taking up the role at the end of 2017, Ms Baker said there was no end in sight when it came to enquiries from stakeholders.
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“Everyone is ready to come to the region and have a conversation about how we can improve,” she told the Mandurah Mail.
Mrs Baker, dubbed the employment czar of the region, has played an integral part in facilitating the trial locally, since it launched on October 1.
Her role has been to help organisations or individuals with conceptual unemployment solutions, make their projects a reality.
The program, announced by former Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash, provides a grant of between $7,500 and $200,000 to local stakeholders for employment-related projects.
Mrs Baker said plans had been coming to her office in droves and there was plenty, job seekers and the local economy, could be excited about.
While she couldn’t reveal exact projects en route, Mrs Baker was optimistic for the future.
“It’s actually quite inspiring because it’s local solutions,” she said.
“It’s people who have experienced what’s happening in our local market and gone ‘actually we think our project will make a difference’. It’s a really collaborative region.”
She said the program placed confidence in local intel.
“These projects will be great to be able to increase employability and that’s what it’s about. They’re very diverse ideas. I’m really excited about what this money will do for the region,” she said.
Peel Regional Development Australia (RDA) chief executive officer John Lambrecht said Peel’s unemployment rate was currently sitting at 7.3 per cent.
“In the past 12 months it has improved by point six of a per cent,” he told the Mail.
“Despite that, there’s always a lot more work to do in this region because over the past 20 years now this region has always trended above the state and national unemployment averages.”
He said while youth unemployment still languishes the region, there was an upwards trend to stay positive about.
“In regards to youth unemployment, we’re still about 10th in Australia,” he said.
“But it has improved. Things are looking up.”
As head of the local RDA office, Mr Lambrecht and his committee have played a key role in the identification, assessment and promotion of the program’s projects to ensure they align with local needs.
Mr Lambrecht said prior to the trial each selected region generally had difficulty in getting the cohorts of young people and parents reentering the workforce engaged and into employment.
To combat that, he said most projects placed on his desk so far, shared a focus of pre-employment preparation and basic employability skills.
Both Mr Lambrecht and Mrs Baker tipped the Peel Business Park, National Disability Insurance Scheme and growing aged care needs as drivers of growth in the region.
“The opportunities upcoming are the growth industries which is age and disability services and certainly anything to do with the construction phase of the business park,” Mrs Baker said.
The funding is open until 2020.
If you have an employment-related project or would like to learn more contact Mrs Baker via email maryanne.baker@mandurahemploymentfacilitator.com.au or visit the Department of Employment’s website at www.jobs.gov.au/employment-facilitators.
More information on the trials can be found at www.jobs.gov.au/regional-employment-trials-program.
Follow Caitlyn Rintoul on Twitter via @caitlynrintoul.
