Activities

Development of an online Trello Board, updated with employment and training opportunities in the Barwon region, all on one web page, for employment service providers to easily access and view the opportunities available for individuals.

A collaboration with Cultura and The Gordon’s Skills and Jobs Centre to host an Aged Care Jobs Expo, to be held on 20 March 2025 from 11am to 2.30pm at the Armstrong Creek East Community Hub.

The Avalon Employment Precinct provides a vast array of employment opportunities for both the Greater Geelong and Wyndham regions. A current lack of public transport to the area prevents local residents from accessing these employment opportunities without a driver’s licence and access to a private vehicle.

Supporting Apprenticeships Victoria with a proposal for a pilot program that creates a workforce for Clean Economy through apprenticeship opportunities in the Barwon Region. The pilot includes a range of options that include CALD cohorts engaging in Pre-Employment ➡️ Pre-Apprenticeship ➡️ Full-time Apprenticeship with an employer.

After running a pilot program in Tasmania, Industry Skills Australia (Jobs and Skills Council) is interested in running a VETDSS Program in Transport and Logistics in the Barwon Region, where students will obtain a Certificate II in Supply Chain Operations.

We are collaborating with The Gordon and the Geelong Manufacturing Council to host an Advanced Manufacturing Careers Expo in 2025. This expo will have a careers focus, highlighting current and emerging opportunities in the region, with a particular focus on clean energy.

We plan to host another Hospitality and Tourism Jobs Expo in partnership with Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine (TGGB) and The Gordon TAFE to promote roles in the sector coming into the busier summer months.

The Western Plains Correctional Centre is a new correction facility in Lara, Victoria. The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) are working with Workforce Australia Local Jobs Barwon to facilitate the Western Plains Correctional Centre Employment Expo on November 6 to recruit Prison Officer for the facilities opening in mid 2025.

Working in collaboration with Local Jobs Barwon, the National Security Training Academy (NSTA), are hosting an Information Session for the Certificate II in Transport Security Protection on Wednesday the 16th of October from 6pm to 7pm at their West Footscray location. Avalon Airport are seeking 10 airport security workers and will hire from this course. Employment is not guaranteed, however it’s a great opportunity for participants to meet employers and have a look at what the course entails.

An ongoing issue in the region is the lack of heavy vehicle training and licencing in the region, with participants travelling to Tarneit or Ballarat to undertake the training, following the closure of RTO’s delivery the training. There has been no delivery of the training in the region for the past 3 years. This project investigated the challenges and develop solutions to deliver training more effectively to participants wishing to work in the transport and logistics sector.

Workforce Australia Local Jobs (Barwon) are partnering with GRLLEN and The Gordon’s Skills and Jobs Centre on an Industry Forum aims to bring together employers and organisations in the supply chain industry to address the challenges and barriers to the recruitment and retention of employees. The Industry Forum will provide a platform for attending employers and organisations to hear from subject matter experts and key industry leaders about the initiatives and programs implemented to overcome the identified challenges and barriers.

Workforce Australia Local Jobs (Barwon), in partnership with Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine, Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism, The Gordon TAFE, and Skilling the Bay, are facilitating a Jobs Expo that will provide information to individuals interested in entering the sector in the Barwon region. The event will also assist local employers in the sector to source employees, by giving an opportunity to highlight their organisation and the roles available.

In the first half of 2024, the GAET hosted their Jobs Expo. A range of local employers showcased available roles and careers to aboriginal community members.

This project aims to support the Early Childhood Education and Care sector in the Barwon Employment Region with recruitment and retention. It aims to increase awareness of Early Childhood Education and Care careers in the broader community and encourage individuals to join the sector. With the significant shortages within the sector forecast to continue, there is a need to promote the varied career opportunities available, from entry-level to tertiary qualified educators. Through exposure to a range of industry representatives, individuals will better understand the sector by gaining first-hand experience, learning the possible training pathways, and engaging with employers who will be able to assist them in taking the first steps in entering the workforce. The project aims to motivate job seekers to consider a career in Early Childhood Education and Care. The project will be completed within the first half of 2024, with dates to be decided in collaboration with key stakeholders.

Working in collaboration with Skilling the Bay, Local Jobs Barwon will be hosting a two-series Apprenticeship and Traineeship Support Forum. The first part of the series will focus on potential candidates for an apprenticeship or a traineeship and will include a panel discussion where attendees will gain insights into the different pathways leading into apprenticeships and traineeships and the careers available and hear firsthand experiences of what apprentice life is really like. The event will also include an expo where attendees will be able to connect with apprenticeship providers, group training organisations, employers, and more. Explore a range of opportunities, learn how to become an apprentice or trainee, and discover the support available to guide you on your journey.

Dinner & Dialogue: Growing the New Energy Workforce of the Future, Now. The Australian Renewables Academy are hosting a Workforce Development dinner in Geelong with key stakeholders to discuss the workforce requirements for the new energy sector.

The Djilang Alliance have the contract to deliver this project, bringing together construction and design experts McConnell Dowell, Downer, Arup and WSP. The Djilang Alliance have engaged Local Jobs Barwon to connect with employment service providers and individuals, to employ locally and assist in meeting workforce development projects.

Training provider NSTA Central and employer Linfox Armaguard are providing ongoing training to individuals to pathway into employment as Security Support Officers to do Aviation screening of passengers and baggage at Avalon Airport. Local Jobs Barwon has promoted the opportunity to employment service providers and other organsations in the Local Jobs network.

Local Jobs South Coast involved Local Jobs Barwon in a joint presentation to 42 Deakin MBA students regarding the difficulties for minority groups, including people who are long term unemployed and people with a disability, to gaining employment. The Deakin students then presented a 2,000 word response to the issue. Both Local Jobs Programs are now reviewing the responses and determining the possible implementation of these approaches.

Not having a drivers license is one of the biggest barriers preventing jobseekers from gaining employment. The purpose of this activity is to gain an understanding of the programs available to assist people to gain their drivers license, and to upscale these programs, improve their delivery, or create new programs to meet the need of jobseekers.

Creating employment opportunities for Parents Next participants to work in Home Care with Mercy Health.

A ‘You can’t ask that’ event which is divided into two sessions. The first to bring employers, training organisations and community service organisations together to discuss employee and attraction tools and successes. A second day is a recruitment event for people to apply for jobs available from the employers in attendance.

The Influencing the Influencer session aims to provide tools and resources – and importantly, narratives, to Employment Services staff – in their conversations and engagement with participants to positively influence participants to consider entering the care and support sector.

To facilitate an Apprenticeship Support Forum which gives information to individuals (students, parents, other individuals) to take the next step and undertake an apprenticeship/traineeship, and also to inform Small Medium Enterprises and Sole Traders to understand the opportunity to take on an apprentice/traineeship. The two cohorts will have the opportunity to network in the middle of the event (alongside AASN and GTO Providers and employers) to discuss employment opportunities available.

Volunteering Geelong is holding ‘Impacting a Pathway to Employment (IPEP)’, a series of short workshops focusing on job ready and job search skills, presented by subject matter experts. Includes 10-day volunteer placement with mentoring (5 weeks x 2 days). Participants need to be between 16 and 23 years old.

Local Jobs have organised a number of site tours for employment service providers to understand the roles available, to then refer suitable individuals to the employer.

In partnership with mecwacare, Local Jobs Barwon has delivered two mecwacare Recruitment events; one in Torquay in October, and another at The Gordon TAFE City Campus in February. These sessions consisted of an Information Session about mecwacare and the roles available, followed by a one-on-one informal interview with a mecwacare staff member. To date, 11 people have gone through the recruitment process and 3 people have commenced employment, with mecwacare very pleased with the outcomes and local approaches.

With the assistance of Jobs Victoria Funding, the Accommodation Association has hosting two Recruitment Days in the Barwon region to attract individuals to entry level roles in the hospitality and tourism industry. A number of hotels have been involved including the Novotel Geelong, Eden Oak Geelong, and RACV Torquay.

To assist Cotton On with the recruitment of over 400 individuals to fill their Holiday Casual roles at their Distribution Centre from October to December 2022. Local Jobs connected Cotton On with the employment service providers in the region, who benefited from a tour of the Distribution Centre. This led to referrals into this employment opportunity.

TLC Aged Care have three aged care facilities in the Barwon region, and were in need of at least 50 Personal Care Workers (PCWs). Local Jobs worked  with TLC Aged Care to facilitate and promote a Recruitment Day in December 2022 at TLC Warralily Gardens to attract qualified PCWs and also non qualified individuals to undertake traineeships. Over 20 people went through the recruitment process and, due to success of this event, TLC Aged Care are now replicating this event in other regions they operate in.

Introducing Go Traffic to each of the employment service providers in the region to fill 50 Traffic Controller roles in the region.

In conversations with a number of stakeholders; employers, education providers, State Government, and peak industry bodies, to understand the issue and create pathways to employment for these jobseekers.

Supporting the Gordon TAFE with a collaborative ‘Think Tank Session’ with Aged Care providers to discuss and develop strategies to address staff shortages in the industry.

To provide information and support to local industry and community stakeholders on the new Workforce Australia program, to be implemented in July 2022. The forum provided an opportunity for over 50 attendees to meet new providers in the region. The session was recorded and distributed to the 73 people who registered for the event. View the recording

Develop a website to be used as a resource for industry and job seekers, to learn about how the Barwon Region Local Jobs Program can assist both industry and job seekers with their employment  needs.

A Jobs Fair hosted by Jobfind for all Workforce Australia participants in the region to attend to find out about local employment opportunities. The Jobs Fair will be held on Tuesday, the 28th of March, at the Waurn Ponds location.

A Jobs Fair hosted by atWork Australia for all Workforce Australia participants in the region to attend to learn about local employment opportunities. The Jobs Fair will be held on Wednesday, the 29th of March, at the Drysdale location.