Goanna Services, Asuria and the Aboriginal Advancement Alliance are celebrating the placement of 13 Indigenous workers into roles with John Holland CPB on the WestConnex Rozelle Interchange Project, thanks to the Workplace Readiness Program.
WestConnex is Australia’s largest road project and is part of an integrated transport plan to keep Sydney moving.
The Rozelle Interchange is a new underground motorway interchange that will provide connectivity to the M4-M5 Link Tunnels and the City West Link, and underground bypass of Victoria Road between Iron Cove Bridge and Anzac Bridge.
The Rozelle Interchange also provides a connection to the future Western Harbour Tunnel.
John Holland CPB Contractors engaged Goanna Services to recruit and provide mentoring to participants entering the Workplace Readiness Program (WRP), prior to securing a full-time paid traineeship on the major infrastructure project.
To deliver this, Goanna Services collaborated with the Aboriginal Advancement Alliance (AAA) and employment services provider, Asuria, to source and filter suitable talent to participate in the customised WRP.
Having been selected by Asuria, participants attended AAA’s ‘Revelations Program’ that consisted of two days of culturally appropriate vocational pre-placement mentoring, training, and job readiness coaching, and were then interviewed and selected to attend the WRP, which included three weeks of paid construction training, where leading RTO Health & Safety Advisory Services delivered the technical skills training for civil construction accredited training units of competency.
To date, the collaboration between Goanna Services, Asuria and AAA has seen 13 Indigenous job seekers placed into employment with John Holland CPB Contractors, where they’ve since commenced working on the $3.9 billion project as civil and tunnel workers, plant and equipment operators, trade assistants and in carpentry roles.
Following their successful placements, participants in the WRP will continue to gain access to Goanna Services’ and Asuria’s ongoing support and expertise, with the goal of achieving sustainable employment for everyone involved.
Additionally, the program will recognise and reward participants for their hard work and community contribution by offering pathways to formal qualifications, including Certificate II or III in Civil Construction.
Goanna Services Director, Cory Robertson said: “When you show people who they can be, see their eyes light up and their confidence build, they start to walk taller knowing they can have a better life and career; that’s the construction outcome you want from what we do and why we do it together. And thanks to CPB and John Holland for the opportunity to work with them. The project has some very caring and capable leaders sincerely committed to our philosophy of ‘Driving Change and Constructing Champions’, which is a breath of fresh air.”
Asuria’s Executive Director – jobactive, Alicea Shaw, who championed the program, said: “The strong, early results delivered by the Workplace Readiness Program are a true testament to what can be achieved when innovative organisations come together around the shared goal of helping people from diverse backgrounds to be successful in employment. Not only is this a great result for John Holland CPB, it’s also a shining example of the skills and staffing solutions employment service providers are capable of delivering for industries across infrastructure, transport, logistics, health care and more.”
Nathan Ross, Director, at the Aboriginal Advancement Alliance (AAA) said: “We are all about placing good people, into good jobs, with good companies. The collaboration on delivering our program for such a good project and with leading companies like CPB and John Holland has been successful, a pleasure and a lot of fun.”
Joshua Milson, one of the WRP participants and new starters with John Holland CPB, shared: “I really enjoyed the training, from setting up my personal business to the skills and training we need on the job. I feel part of a team and continue to be supported. I love the work I am doing on the project and continue to learn every day. I now have the direction and purpose I needed and have been looking for. I can see a great future ahead for me now.”