10 he said. For young Indigenous people, it will provide an understanding of career opportunities and employment pathways in manufacturing.,” he said. The consortium members include Bara Barang Corporation Ltd, Central Coast Industry Connect, E-bisglobal, Borg Manufacturing, TrendPac, APM, Global Skills, Access Knowledge, Barang Regional Alliance and Aunty Madeline McGrady. The project has secured four years of funding and involves entry-level manufacturing training, cultural support individually and in yarning circles and connections to apprenticeships, traineeships and paid work in a variety of job roles. ‘Make Tomorrow in Manufacturing’ A UNIQUE INDIGENOUS Skills and Employment Program (ISEP) was launched last month at the premises of E-bisglobal in Tuggerah with the aim of addressing the skill shortages in the manufacturing and related industry sectors. The commencement of the project, ‘’Make Tomorrow in Manufacturing’’ marks the culmination of 18 months work with industry and community to co-design an employment pathway program to train and mentor Aboriginal participants 15-30 years old for work. The project is led by an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation, Bara Barang Corporation Ltd (BBC) in a consortium approach with industry, business, vocational training, employment service and community partners. An open competitive application process resulted in the project securing funding from the Australian Government’s Indigenous Skills and Employment Program with the support of a community joint decision-making panel convened by Barang Regional Alliance, the representative voice of the Central Coast Aboriginal community. Aunty Madeline McGrady is an Elder and resident of the Central Coast often involved in supporting projects to benefit Aboriginal youth. She is a member of the consortium and attended the project co-design workshops. When asked about the importance of her role, she said, “If we as Elders and leaders can instill our youth’s cultural integrity intact, they can walk out the door and take on the World.” The General Manager of Bara Barang, Andrew Malloch knows that it’s critical to bring together diverse groups to effect positive change. He said that to successfully implement the project, ‘’There must be strong relationships with business and community, job-related and culturally appropriate training, holistic support and strong staff commitment. ‘Make Tomorrow in Manufacturing’ has these ingredients, so we are in a position to create the strongest outcomes for everyone participating in the project’’. Supporting the project, is Frank Sammut, Executive Director of Central Coast Industry Connect. ‘’CCIC is pleased to be involved in this important program that helps educate manufacturing employers of the benefits of employing local Indigenous people and at the same time, provide potential candidates to fill the current and future staff shortages,” MANUFACTURING NEWS HELP GIVE A NEW BEGINNING DONATE TODAY RED SHIELD APPEAL NEED TYRES? WE’VE GOT THE COAST COVERED” “ Sarah Keenan Director, BreezEQ Accountants Pty Ltd, Joel Smeaton BBC Indigenous Skills Coordinator, Peppa Griffioen Programme Facilitor, Matt Stanton, Clay Williamson BBC Programme Coordinator, Chris Thew BBC Operations Manager, Andrew Malloch BBC General Manager), Mark Cleary (The Big Paddle Company) & Larry Trudgett Cultural Mentor CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW JUNE 2024
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