Supporting Indigenous Australians in the workplace

Novaskill administers the Indigenous Advancement Strategy on behalf of the Australian Government. This means we have specialist staff that promote and assist indigenous job seekers with employment, work experience and education experiences.

With a network of employers, Novaskill can provide coaching, mentoring, work experience, post job support and customised training to eligible indigenous job seekers.

I want to continue working towards becoming a mentor to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people reach their career goals!

At first I was nervous but soon settled in with the group. We would go each week and over time we all made friends. Thank you Sue for being my trainer, St Joesph’s for my job and Novaskill for providing and supporting my learning.

I want to become the first person in my immediate family to graduate from university and then go onto work in sport or community, to empower young Aboriginal people to find their identity.

I’ve had mental health issues in the past and I wanted to stimulate my mind.

The Indigenous Employment Team provides a free mentoring service to our Indigenous Trainees, Apprentices, course participants and employees. The program covers life skills, cross-cultural awareness and employer expectations. This valuable program ensures all indigenous employees have the best chance of success in their role.

Novaskill mentoring includes but is not limited to;

• Pre-employment preparation
• “Work Ready” Training
• Ongoing structured mentoring support
• On-site workplace visits
• Cultural awareness training
• Tailored employment pathway options
• Post program support and transition

Apprenticeships and traineeships combine training with working in a real job, for a real boss with a real wage.

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBAT) allow you to complete year 11 and 12, while being employed and paid by a local business and undertaking training to attain a nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification as well as your Higher School Certificate (HSC)/ Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE).

You will be required to work in your host business for approximately one day each week throughout year 11 and 12 and may go onto begin full time work as a second year apprentice or trainee from the January after you finish school.

For more information on how this exciting program can really kick start your career, and what support is available to you as an Indigenous Australian, please contact your local Novaskill branch.