Jobfind, the David Liddiard Group and the Young Enterprise Trust are working together to bring the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) to Indigenous job seekers in 2015. The scheme will support Indigenous Australians to set up their own enterprises, with the guidance of mentors which we are seeking from high profile businesses across Australia.
50 Jobfind job seekers from Katherine, NT and Kuranda, QLD are expected to commence YES in January 2015, with the participants to be selected after they complete an Introduction to Business course starting in November 2014, facilitated by the David Liddiard Group. The five-week Introduction to Business course is a learning pathway for the participants to gain basic life and work skills such as financial literacy, budgeting, time management, team building and industry terminology before they begin the YES programme. The course will arm the participants with the skills, tools and confidence they require to face the challenging task ahead of them of establishing their businesses.
The aim of bringing the scheme to Australia is to bridge the gap between the number of Indigenous job seekers to employment opportunities in communities such as Kuranda and Katherine. YES offers a means to create sustainable employment opportunities for these job seekers by providing them with the financial support and professional guidance to give their businesses the best chance of success.
The YES participants will work in teams of 5 to establish a company, which will be registered with ASIC. During the programme, participants will learn how to write a business plan, how to deal with suppliers, manufacturing a product, undertaking market research, financial management, sales and marketing as they develop their enterprise. Students will also foster their soft skills such as teamwork, communication, presentation, dealing with obstacles and time management. The job seekers will receive 6 months of ongoing financial support and guidance from their mentors up until they submit the business’ annual report.
Jobfind is currently seeking YES mentors to support these young Indigenous Australians in accomplishing their business goals. Current and previous supporters have included Fairfax Media, DairyNZ, BP, Xero, The Lion Foundation, New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. If you would like to participate as a mentor or sponsor the YES programme, please contact Jobfind Manager, Chris Andrew, on 0437 379 868.
Through the programme, Jobfind, the David Liddiard Group and the Young Enterprise Trust, are collaborating to facilitate training and mentoring so that these enterprises lead to sustainable enterprises in future years. It is hoped the enterprises will also present potential employment prospects for locals in the future and stimulate the economies of their communities.
