Great Southern Deadly Jobs and Careers Forum returns to Albany for second year

Aboriginal jobseekers will have the chance to meet with prospective employers and hear from a panel of leaders at the Deadly Jobs and Careers Forum this week.

Twenty businesses and organisations including Harvest Road, Rio Tinto and the City of Albany will be exhibiting their job opportunities at the forum this Wednesday.

The event, hosted by Impact Services and South Regional TAFE’s Albany Jobs and Skills Centre, will run from 10am to 2pm at Retravision Stadium.

Senior client engagement officer at South Regional TAFE’s Albany Campus, Tanya Paunic, is managing the event along with Impact Services.

Ms Paunic said the forum was returning after a successful inaugural event last year.

“The Deadly Jobs and Careers Forum is about maximising the opportunities for Aboriginal families and community within the region to embrace a sustainable future through career and educational pathways,” Ms Paunic said.

“So just allowing the community to consider alternative options for employment and training that they may not have thought possible or considered before.”

Attendees will hear from a range of Aboriginal community leaders during a Q&A session as part of the forum.

The five panellists are Albany Community Legal Centre disability advocate Donna Coyne, Department of Communities senior Aboriginal field officer Cheri Hicks, Decmil Civil Construction worker Barry Roberts, Department of Health mental health worker Ricky Inman, and Crave Albany owner Emma James-Wallace.

“They’ll be talking about the roles that they do within the workplace, how they’ve overcome challenges throughout their careers and just some words of wisdom for people who are entering the workforce or thinking about changing pathways into a different field,” Ms Paunic said.

There will also be a physical jobs board with available positions advertised on it and stalls featuring employers who jobseekers can speak to face-to-face.

South Regional TAFE will be exhibiting and there will be information stalls from support services including headspace.

There will also be prizes, entertainment and a sausage sizzle.

Ms Paunic said high school students from around the Great Southern would be attending the forum.

“We’ve got quite a number of apprenticeships on offer at the moment through different organisations,” she said.

“But we’ve also got lots of opportunities available from our major sponsors, ranging from farm hands with Harvest Road, process workers with Fletcher International Exports, City of Albany positions, and Rio Tinto trade positions.

“So it’s quite a diverse range of jobs that are on offer.”

Ms Paunic said the forum provided a safe space for Aboriginal jobseekers to inquire about job opportunities.

“I think it’s important to provide a culturally safe environment, just encouraging inclusion and participation,” she said.

“By all means we’re not going to turn people away if they’re not Aboriginal, we want everyone to be included. But this forum allows the Aboriginal community members to be aware of all these amazing opportunities that are available within the region, and just so that they are comfortable enough to be asking the questions and getting information that they might not do at other forums and events.”

For details, contact the Albany Jobs and Skills Centre on 13 64 64 or albanyjsc@srtafe.wa.edu.au.