Job seekers get online toolkit

As industry opens up job opportunities for Kimberley locals, a new tool has been created to help training organisations get those people ready for work.

After at least two years of hard work and consultation with Kimberley-based registered training organisations, case managers, teachers, trainers and job seekers, the Kimberley Land Council has created a website to help job seekers overcome barriers which have prevented them from finding work.

This website was developed to deliver a suite of practical resources to Kimberley-based providers engaged in assisting people into mainstream employment. Maree Gaffney, who co-ordinated the website, www.klcworkreadiness.org, said there were many people from remote regions who had little or no experience of the paid workforce, who had low literacy and numeracy skills and no work readiness training.

Barriers to them finding employment included things as basic as not having a post box to be contacted through, not having a driver’s licence or being able to understand a medical form.

Ms Gaffney said the concept had come about after she had been required to find eight candidates for apprenticeships, but despite local job networks having 4000 people on their books, she could not find them.

She said the tools were available for anyone and could be particularly useful to case managers and trainers, especially those who may be new to the Kimberley and the nature of the issues they needed to deal with.

Traditional owner Mary Tarran said the program was a great opportunity for Kimberley people and said she thought it was likely to make a big impact.