AFL Offers Traineeships to Help Young Muslims

Australia’s largest Not for Profit, the AFL, is offering 10 traineeships to help assist Muslim young people make the step into employment.

The positions, worth around $34,000 a year, form part of a federal government-funded program to increase diversity and are open to applicants from Muslim background who have recently completed secondary school.

It comes after the government announced the traineeships in May this year as part of an additional $625,000 in funding for the AFL’s long-running Bachar Houli Cup and Leadership Program.

According to the latest job listing, workforce participation is a pivotal issue impacting the Australian Muslim community, especially Muslim young people.

“To help assist Muslim young people make that step into employment, the federal government has provided funding support for 10 traineeships for Muslim young people to work across the AFL industry over a 12-month period to gain critical work experience and job skills,” the advert read.

“The AFL in turn has partnered with AFL SportsReady to offer a unique traineeship opportunity as part of the Bachar Houli Employment Program.”

The program, which has engaged more than 30 Islamic schools and organisations, with more than 10,000 players taking part, combines culture and sport by engaging Richmond player and AFL Multicultural Ambassador, Bachar Houli, as a role model and mentor for young people.

Participants undertake skill development sessions in communication, decision making, resilience, identity and community values. They are also encouraged to engage in the local community and promote cultural and social inclusion.

The selection criteria for the new positions advertised in Victoria and Queensland specify that applicants must be from a Muslim background, with a disclaimer noting that the action constitutes a “special measure” or “equal opportunity measure” under the respective state anti-discrimination laws.

The AFL also offers a number of similar positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school leavers as part of its diversity traineeship program, which provides “employment pathways and skill development in young multicultural and Indigenous people aged 15 to 19”.