It was a double celebration this International Youth Day on August 12 as Jobfind officially opened the doors to its new office in Cairns.
Jobfind’s 5-star disability employment service in the Cairns region is now joined by two new Workforce Australia employment programs: Transition to Work for young job seekers and Employability Skills Training, helping people become skilled for work in local industries.
At the opening celebrations at 14 Aplin Street, Cairns, Indigenous cultural group, Minjil, offered a Welcome to Country and beautiful arwork for the office. Guests included the Hon Warren Entsch MP – Federal Member for Leichhardt, Rise Ventures, Angus Knight Group, local job seekers, employers and community partners.
Minjil cultural group offered a Welcome to Country and gifted artwork held by Jobfind CEO,Karena Newland
Supporting young people to thrive in employment
Supporting young people to thrive in work and education has never been more important.
The social and economic impacts of COVID-19 on young people have been substantial. Compared to older age groups, youth experienced high rates of psychological distress, loneliness, educational disruption, unemployment, housing stress and domestic violence (aihw.gov.au).
Speaking at the opening event in Cairns, Mr Entsch said: “It is vital that for our younger generation to be able to enter the workforce, they must be prepared and equipped. It’s critical that employment services also facilitate the next important step of connecting young job seekers to local employers who will give them a go.”
“The opening of Jobfind does exactly that and I welcome their new services to our region,” Mr Entsch said.
Hon Warren Entsch MP – Federal Member for Leichhardt
More employment support for youth in Cairns
Jobfind’s 5-star disability employment service has been supporting people of all working ages throughout the Cairns region since 2018. Business Manager, Flo Walker, sees first-hand how young people with a disability, injury or illness thrive in employment.
“When our youngest clients get the opportunity to contribute their talents to a business, they shine. Their confidence grows, they become more independent, and their families are so proud of them.”
L to R: Nathan Hardy, Rebecca Fasano, Flo Walker, Adam Walker from the Disability Employment Services team
Karena Newland, Jobfind CEO, said: “Our new Transition to Work program is specifically designed to help young people kickstart their careers with the extra support they need to build up their skills, get ready to work, and maintain their employment. It’s lifechanging.”
Also new to Jobfind’s employment support in the region is the Employability Skills Training program for all eligible job seekers. The 3–5-week short courses give job seekers real-world exposure to local employers while also improving their foundational skills for work.
Amber Congdon, Business Development Manager, is already in talks with local employers to help them fill their vacancies. “Jobfind is a no-cost recruitment service to employers. We can match hiring employers with suitable job seekers in our program. We can even prepare job seekers to meet an employer’s specific workforce needs.”
L to R: Amber Congdon and Suha McCartney, Employability Skills Training program
Transition to Work at Jobfind Cairns
Jobfind is the only provider of the Australian Government’s Workforce Australia-Transition to Work program in Cairns.
The Transition to Work employment service helps young people aged 15 to 24 years into work or education. This also includes apprenticeships and training.
Sally Majid leads a dedicated team of Youth Mentors and Activities Coordinators providing intensive pre-employment support to young job seekers in the Cairns region. “We help young people who’ve been disengaged with work or study to connect to local jobs and learning opportunities.
“Jobfind is here to support young people to grow into their potential.”
More than just a job, the program also facilitates referral and access to community support services that can help provide stability to a young person.
“It can be difficult for a young person to stay on track with their job search or training if they’re also dealing with anxiety or homelessness. That’s why our wrap around support is critical to supporting our young people to achieve their goals,” said Sally.
Sally Majid (third from right) and the Transition to Work team
What is International Youth Day?
Designated by the United Nations (UN), International Youth Day is a day of awareness and recognition for the youth across the globe. Celebrated annually on August 12, it is a day of reflection and action to empower youth to be a positive force for development.
Globally, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15-24 years. High on the youth agenda is their full participation in education, employment and training. Recent estimates suggest that 600 million jobs would have to be created over the next 15 years to meet youth employment needs.
Contact Jobfind in Cairns
Jobfind is now welcoming participants and employers to our new premises located at:
14 Aplin Street
Cairns City
We also service residents of Mareeba, Yarrabah, Smithfield, Atherton and Innisfail.
You can contact Jobfind Cairns by calling 1800 931 976 or on email: info@jobfind.com.au
