NFP Takes on Tassie Unemployment
22 January 2013 at 9:35 am
Mission Australia is to tackle long term unemployment in Tasmania with the Not for Profit being awarded the contract to support 4,500 long term job seekers in the State.
Mission Australia has secured the contract from the Federal Government to run Job Services Australia (JSA) services – previously run by CHOOSE Employment in Tasmania.
CHOOSE Employment’s JSA sites in Hobart, Rosny, Kingston, Bridgewater, Glenorchy, Devonport, Burnie, Queenstown and Smithton will now operate under the Mission Australia banner.
CHOOSE’s JSA staff – around 45 people – will move across to Mission Australia’s employment as part of the change.
Mission Australia’s Tasmanian State Director, Noel Mundy, says that for job seekers and employers who were previously supported by CHOOSE Employment, it is business as usual.
“The only difference you may notice is the gradual change to Mission Australia signage.”
Mundy said the expansion into employment services in the state was an exciting opportunity.
“Both Mission Australia and CHOOSE Employment believe our management of the JSA contract will provide a more sustainable, efficient and high quality service to Tasmanian job seekers.”
He said the announcement represents many months of discussion and planning.”It’s been a very collaborative process between CHOOSE Employment and ourselves.”
“At the heart of many of the problems Mission Australia already addresses in Tasmania – homelessness, financial hardship, family breakdown – is long-term joblessness. As a result of this exciting new opportunity we look forward to tackling poverty on a new front – helping people into work.”
Kylee Bates, Mission Australia’s General Manager of Employment Solutions in Tasmania/SA/WA/Victoria, said staff at both CHOOSE and Mission Australia had been informed of the change.
“It was very important for staff to be informed of the change before we made a public announcement. Our aim is to provide a smooth transition that will have minimal impact on the employees of both organisations and the job seekers we support,” Bates said.
“Through Mission Australia’s already strong presence in the state we’re very aware of the challenges facing local job seekers but our team is looking forward to getting stuck in and doing our best for unemployed Tasmanians.”
