Long term job seekers will soon receive greater support from social enterprises thanks to the new National Social Enterprise Development Support project.
Minister for Employment Participation and Child Care Kate Ellis, today announced that social enterprises will receive nearly $1 million in funding under the Australian Government’s Innovation Fund program.
“Social enterprises play a key role in creating employment opportunities for the long term unemployed and this project will develop a national business development support service for these organisations,” Ms Ellis said.
“After identifying business challenges for social enterprises, the project will focus on promoting networking activities and developing a business services directory.”
“$1 million is a significant investment and will go a long way to improving the capacity and services of social enterprises across Australia, which in turn will mean better outcomes for long term job seekers.”
The project will be delivered by Job Futures in partnership with Social Traders and guided by a Project Advisory Group comprising key organisations from the Australian Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Alliance.
It will provide intensive support services to social enterprises, including in-house visits from business development advisors and a review by a social enterprise expert.
Minister Ellis said that the current economic circumstances presented a unique opportunity for the very long term unemployed to find and keep a job.
“We know that people who have been unemployed for a long period of time have difficulty finding full time employment because they often don’t have the necessary skills and work experience employers are looking for,” Ms Ellis said.
“Once a job seeker has been unemployed for one year they have a 54 per cent chance of being unemployed for at least one more year after that.”
Through the 2011-12 Budget the Australian Government is investing $227.9 million in measures to specifically target the very long term unemployed.
Wage subsidies of around $6000 will be paid to employers who take on and retain people who have been unemployed for more than two years.
Over the next three-and–a-half years, this Government expects that 35 000 very long term unemployed job seekers will be placed into employment using this subsidy. Both private businesses and social enterprises will be able to take advantage of this funding.
“With the help of these wage subsidies and the new project announced today, social enterprises will be better able to provide support to disadvantaged job seekers and assist them to transition to the mainstream labour market,” Ms Ellis said.
The $41 million Innovation Fund program aims to address the needs of the most disadvantaged job seekers through projects that foster innovative solutions to employment barriers. For more information on the Innovation Fund please visit: www.deewr.gov.au/innovationfund
reff:australia.gov.au
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