Indigenous Employment Program
The objective of the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) is to increase Indigenous Australians employment outcomes and participation in economic activities, contributing to the Governments commitment to halving the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employment outcomes within a decade.
The IEP supports a broad range of activities that are responsive to the needs of employers, Indigenous Australians and their communities. CONNECT, in partnership with Northern Rivers University Department of Rural Health, Department of Education and Training, TAFE North Coast and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia developed the following program.
Pharmacy Careerlink Program
This project is designed to pave the way for Indigenous students to access career paths in the Pharmacy industry, with a particular emphasis on the Pharmacy Technician vocation.
The project will be based around encouraging students into School Based Traineeships and added incentives to employers to take on Indigenous students.
Rationale
This project has multiple benefits:
- ensuring Indigenous students stay on to complete schooling
- enhancing opportunities for post-Year 12 full-time employment and/or further education and training, and
- providing a foundation for addressing access to health services for Indigenous people …. a response to the COAG findings about Indigenous Health.
School-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SbATs) provide an excellent opportunity for young people to link both work and study; experience shows a need to provide additional support to Indigenous students participating in SbATs in order to address their specific needs in working across workplaces, their school and TAFE.
For further information contact:
Melissa Hughes
Phone: 02 6622 4199 Email: melissa.hughes@connectnr.com
