CNLC response to the new public inquiry into sustainable ... · 7/31/2019 · CNLC response to the...

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CNLC response to the new public inquiry into sustainable employment for disadvantaged jobseekers.

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The Committee Manager

Legislative Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Committee

Parliament House, Spring Street

EAST MELBOURNE VIC 3002

31/07/2019

CNLC response to the new public inquiry into sustainable employment for disadvantaged

jobseekers.

Dear Committee Manager,

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this small paper. CNLC staff are available for

further questions at your convenience.

We are providing permission for this to be made public as required.

Kind regards,

Mary Parfrey | Centre Manager

Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre Inc

M: T: E: W: www.cnlc.org.au

Connecting people, creating opportunities and challenging disadvantage

LA EIC - Disadvantaged Jobseekers InquirySubmission no. 47Received: 31 July 2019




CNLC response to the new public inquiry into sustainable employment for disadvantaged

jobseekers.

Contents Page

1. Key Points 2 2. Who are we and what services do we offer? 3 3. The Neighbourhood House Program aims 3 4. Learn Local provider aims 4 5. Registered training organisations aims 4 6. Outcomes of efforts to encourage greater participation, education

and training needs 4 7. Evidence of barriers to employment 6 8. How well current programs or activities are meeting needs 8 9. What services are currently available in Melbourne? 9 10. Make it Work’ (MiW) – Carlton’s future 10

1. Key Points Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre (CNLC) is a community managed not-for-profit with

a 46 year history of service to the Carlton and surrounding community. CNLC’s mission is to

work with the people of Carlton and surrounding suburbs, particularly those who

experience disadvantage, to connect, learn, share skills and improve participation in work

and community life. One of CNLC’s core services is providing English as an Additional

Language (EAL) programs for Carlton’s refugee and migrant community, and to support

them to find volunteer and employment pathways.

There many barriers that our community faces to employment during and after their time

studying and working with CNLC. CNLC has acknowledged these barriers and is creating a

new boutique wrap around service that will connect local people with local sustainable jobs.

Our society must look and think outside the square to address both the structural

inequalities as well as the individual barriers that stop migrants and refuges from gaining

sustainable employment.

Real success would see the Carlton community as a whole more engaged, networked,

financially independent and confident on the way to achieving their life goals.




2. Who are we and what services do we offer? Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre (CNLC) is a community managed not-for-profit with a 46 year history of service to the Carlton and surrounding community. We are a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), a Learn Local Provider (LL) and a Neighbourhood House (NH), with funding received from all levels of government as well as other philanthropic sources/donations. CNLC’s mission is to work with the people of Carlton and surrounding suburbs, particularly those who experience disadvantage, to connect, learn, share skills and improve participation in work and community life. CNLC encourages individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. The Neighbourhood House and Learning Centre sector works within a community development framework. Change and growth occurs through informing and empowering individuals and communities. Houses and Centres do not seek to do for others but to empower others to do for themselves. Members are encouraged to be actively involved in decision making and to have ownership of the programs and activities in their house or centre. Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres integrate learning into all aspects of their activities. Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres actively work to redress structural disadvantage in society through their philosophy, principles and practices. They are inclusive and supportive of people from diverse backgrounds and with varying abilities. Houses and Centres aim to improve the social, environmental, economic and cultural infrastructures within their communities. (Attachment 1 - The Neighbourhood House and Learning Centre Sector Framework)

3. The Neighbourhood House Program aims The Neighbourhood House Coordination Program, funded by the Victorian state government, provides funding to neighbourhood houses, neighbourhood house networks and the state peak body, Neighbourhood Houses Victoria to: • support the provision of community development programs and activities that lead to community strengthening outcomes by: – supporting diversity and promoting community participation and inclusion – facilitating community development and capacity building in support of individuals and groups within communities – supporting lifelong learning opportunities for people to improve their access to training and employment pathways • undertake community development processes to address locally identified priorities and needs through: – community consultation – development of agreed community responses to identified priorities and needs – identification of partners and funding sources – facilitating and evaluating responses to identified needs and priorities.




ISBN 978-0-7311-6732-6 (pdf) - available at www.dhhs.vic.gov.au (search for Neighbourhood House Coordination Program Guidelines).

4. Learn Local provider aims Learn Local provider organisations in Victoria offer education and training programs that meet the particular community’s’ learning needs. CNLC is a government registered Learn Local provider that can help local adult students return to study, improve their reading, writing and maths skills, gain a qualification, get a job or learn something new. Learn Local providers are friendly and welcoming, often with smaller class sizes, with qualified teachers who are focussed on helping students succeed. These LL pre-accredited classes can cover a braod range of topics, from Computer Classes, to Volunteering for work to learning English for employment. http://learnlocal.org.au/about/

5. Registered training organisations aims

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are training providers registered by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), ASQA is the national regulator for Australia's vocational education and training sector. Some RTO’s, including CNLC, are registered under the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) to deliver vocational education and training (VET) services.

6. Outcomes of efforts to encourage greater participation, education and training needs

One of CNLC’s core services is providing English as an Additional Language (EAL) programs for Carlton’s refugee and migrant community. Given the many barriers that our community faces to employment during and after their time studying at, and working with, CNLC we have extended our education arm to bridge pathways to meaningful work for our students, many who live in the Public Housing High Rise estates in Carlton, and also in the estates of Fitzroy and Richmond. The project idea and initial research was undertaken by CNLC staff, the final report was accepted in late 2017, and is titled: Lifehouse: bridging the pathway to local work for Carlton’s refugee and migrant community. (Attachment 2) To explain our model properly, it’s important that you first meet Fatma, a woman who is indicative of our community. She is over 30, a refugee from Eritrea, is currently unemployed and studies English at CNLC. She is neighbour to the other 2500 residents at the Carlton Housing Estate where 1 in 5 people earn no income and 37% have a weekly income of less then $300. Fatma faces multiple barriers to employment in Australia, including low English levels, a lack of local work experience, lack of networks and recognised skills/qualifications and an unfamiliarity with the local job market. In addition, Fatma has close family members overseas in dire straits in African refugee camps, and worries constantly about their health, lack of housing and general safety. Her life or ‘social’ issues can impact negatively on her capacity to attend or concentrate in class, which may slow her progress in the Certificates for EAL, which in turn, can reduce her capacity to improve her reading, written and spoken English, which of course, then decreases her

http://learnlocal.org.au/about/




employment potential. CNLC supports Fatma through the provision of RTO accredited EAL, pre-accredited volunteering programs, access to the community development staff for social issues support and referral to Job Actives and Centrelink for extra help when requested. But all, she want, is a job. And this is extremely difficult to organise for her, given her situation. There is now widespread recognition that refugees and migrants such as Fatma need specialised support, which means that many are working in this space from mainstream Government agencies to experienced non-profits including the Brotherhood of St Lawrence, but CNLC has identified a clear service gap for the community that we work with. In order to meet this gap, CNLC has developed a local, boutique scale service that is relational to the core, founded on a 3 way-partnership with local employers, the community and CNLC. With an overarching social purpose of bridging the pathways to meaningful work for Carlton’s refugee and migrant community through real local opportunities, this model was built from the following 4 foundational principles: 1. Working with the community, not just individuals: valuing the significant community cohesion and social capital that bonds refugee and migrant communities.

2. Working on a targeted, local scale to enable personalised support with both employers and the community and ensure ease of access to work, volunteer and training options for community members.

3. Co-creating training and employment pathways with both partners, ensuring community are active agents and shapers in the process and not merely ‘service seekers’; and employers have a direct role to ensure direct match of skills and needs.

4. Focusing on industries with proven upward mobility pathways with on the job training/lower barriers to entry that can fast track the experience to a living wage (FMUMP 2016). In 2017, we commenced a small scale, 12-month pilot program to test this model. This small

project enabled us to adapt and refine our model through ‘live testing’ of a scaled down

version, enabling us to develop a proven program to planned outcomes of fast-track refugee

employment and upward mobility.

Sustainable employment as a concept was discussed and workshopped: For CNLC, this

means project staff seek to find interesting development opportunities that are aligned with

Carlton individual’s skills, experience and current knowledge, as well as supporting and

affirming their right to seek interesting and challenging work.

Ultimately the aim of this initiative is to connect people with sustainable jobs, and real

success would see the Carlton community as a whole more engaged, networked, financially

independent and confident on the way to achieving their life goals.




7. Evidence of barriers to employment

There is wide national and international recognition of the difficulties in securing employment facing refugees upon arrival in a host country. Research by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2011) found that humanitarian refugees have the highest rates of unemployment among migrant groups (Department of Immigration and Border Protection 2014; Department of Immigration and Citizenship 2007; Forced Migration upward Mobility Project 2016 see also Hugo 2011). Research commissioned by the Australian Federal Government found that three significant and common barriers to a transition to employment for Humanitarian refugees are English language levels, education history and qualification levels (Hugo 2011). This research has been extended and deepened by other research that has found significant trends across the following barriers to employment:

e between learning English and looking for work

Primary research within our own Carlton community validated and personalized the barriers discussed above, with individuals and groups detailing their difficulty in finding employment due to:

/accessing employment: ‘In my country, no resumes, I don’t know how to write a resume’

recognized here’

at’s how I got my first job’

CNLC is well networked with other RTO’s and LL and NH across the North east and inner

Melbourne suburbs: the sector has strong track records of achieving employment, learning

and volunteering outcomes for disadvantaged learners over many years. There are many

stories of students achieving great personal outcomes, with the support of the sector. Here

are a few, some in their own words – names amended for privacy:

1. Teslat – through volunteer expo, found a volunteer opportunity which led to a paid

position with his passion – fixing push bikes – very happy




2. Sue Long – English classes gave her confidence that she needed to find a job. Found

a sewing job. Her story:

My name is Sue Long. I Live in Melbourne. I have a daughter that is studying first

year of Nursing at University. My husband died from cancer two years ago in

Vietnam. I study English at Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre every Tuesday

and Wednesday and I work at an alteration store three days per week. After studying

for 2 months. I was able to get a job with my little understanding and speaking of

English. I can’t fluently speak, write and understand English but I am able to know a

bit of everything to get me through my daily life. Currently I am very happy as I am

able to have a decent job and have a good community to help me learn a second

foreign language. Thank you to all teachers that have taught me everything I need to

know. I have so many wonderful and great memories at this place. Thank you so

much.

3. Ariat – completed English and now ready to undertake further studies so he can go

back to being a pilot. After completing his studies, he plans to volunteer with the

ambulance.

4. Dave – CNLC LL Green Team participant – found a job in urban agriculture.

But there are many difficulties and structural barriers to success that continue to impede

individual’s attempts to succeed. CNLC has many anecdotal stories around the following:

a) The role of jobseeker services in misdirecting people to inappropriate pathways, training opportunities. CNLC story: Student A is half way through a certificate, his spoken English has improved, and the4 jobs seeker insists that they apply for a job as a cleaner, which means his learning activities will cease. The Job Seeker receives payments from the Government based on the number of jobs achieved by their cohort. There is no cohesive or comprehensive approach to address ALL of the student’s needs.

b) The inflexibility of the VET training regime that forces RTOs to withdraw people who may need to stop their training temporarily to deal with temporary issues like housing, etc The regulations around data entry for RTO’s are exceedingly complex and can be impossible for low level English speakers to understand and comply with.

c) The importance of accessible pathways and the need to accommodate non-linear pathways, not well achieved in the current training system NH welcome a broad range of people from many diverse backgrounds – and each person has their own special needs or requirements and they all need an individualised plan and approach for their situation; Migrant or refugee students have layers of trauma to deal with on top of achieving or addressing their everyday needs; some of the stories are heart breaking, yet CNLC staff continue to be amazed




at the determination and resilience shown in their efforts to achieve an education and employment.

d) The appalling lack of income support, general life support and childcare facilities

There is a great deal in the media about the poor levels of income support provided by the Federal Government through Centrelink. Many of CNLC’s students have really struggled to understand the MyGov portal, let alone effectively use it regularly. Also, some of the single parent migrant families in Carton have been unable to access education as there is insufficient childcare services to support their learning. There is a dire need for robust wrap around support services to ensure that people have a strong foundation on which to take on employment in the first place.

8. How well current programs or activities are meeting needs

The initial CNLC research project work – named Lifehouse – bridging the pathways to local

work for Carlton’s refugee and migrant community - written by CNLC staff Tanya Massy

and Elle Morrell and completed by CNLC in 2017, viewed ‘local to Carlton’ agencies, and

assessed their capacity to meet the identified needs of our community, based on our

participants assessment of their needs. The results are listed in this table.

Barriers to Employment Effective Solutions

Lack of local work experience/opportunities for work experience

Volunteering and Work Placement Opportunities in relevant, targeted industries

English Language Proficiency Collaborative approaches that provide targeted industry language development and intensive language learning outside classroom environments.

Lack of specialised services and support Tailored support and guidance with long term view on ‘career’ & not a ‘quick job fix’

Lack of familiarity with job application processes in Australia

Individualised, tailored support, mentoring and guidance

Lack of networks to facilitate employment/experience/guidance

Enlarging social networks through volunteering, work experience, community involvement and industry networking

Cultural and domestic responsibilities Flexible program delivery and comprehensive casework/support

Lack of recognition of overseas qualifications and/or experience.

Targeting relevant industry/training opportunities and placement




Data sources: FMUMP 2016; RCOA 2010; RCOA/FMI2017; Hugo 2011; CNLC’s primary research

(refer to appendix 1). Page 4, CNLC’s BMR.

CNLC acknowledges the fine work undertaken by many in these areas in the not-for-profit

sector. In 2017, the following table of agencies were listed as key referral points for many

our students.

But there were gaps, and the number of CNLC students reporting continued frustrations at

their increasing yet failed attempts to enter the workplace was growing.

9. What services are currently available in Melbourne?

The project work indicated the following services were available to Carlton CNLC students.

Brotherhood of St Laurence: Training, advocacy, industry collaboration, work placement, individualised support and case management.

BSL is a major provider in the Carlton area and they do a terrific job. However, based on anecdotal evidence from students, they are not meeting particular needs in our CNLC community. Research to date indicates this is due to a lack of broader community development & engagement (work with individuals, not the community), and their partnerships with big industry/organisations requiring particular skill/language levels and an age range (young and job ready) which many of our community don’t fit. Also translates into locations and commute times unfeasible for community members with family responsibilities.

Melbourne Employment Forum: A predominantly online platform information, referral and placement services.

MEF don’t: Co-design training and employment pathways with local employers Provide individualised career guidance and mentoring Provide general or vocational English language education

Refugee Talent: A digital platform that connects skilled refugees with companies offering short and long term job opportunities

Refugee Talent don’t: Work with ‘unprofessionally skilled’ refugees Work with migrants Co-design training and employment pathways with local employers

AMES Australia: Specialised employment services: training through to career counselling and placement.

AMES don’t offer employment services locally to our community, however CNLC successfully partners with AMES to provide education and training in Carlton and surrounding suburbs.




Foundation House UCan2: Work with youth to support access to education, training, employment, networks.

Foundation House UCan2 program doesn’t: Work with people over 25. Work with people who are no longer deemed ‘recent arrivals’

Community Four: Brings together business and Hazara community to meet mutual needs through events, training and volunteer opportunities.

Community Four doesn’t: Work with other communities, including the Carlton community (but CEO Gavin Ackerly is advising and supporting us on our program development) Provide training and individualised mentoring, career guidance and volunteer/work experience placement

Career Seekers: Work with mid-career professionals & university students to facilitate internship/work placement opportunities

Career Seekers don’t: Work with other skill levels and cohorts – limited to professionals and tertiary students.

10. Make it Work’ (MiW) – Carltons future

So, in order to attempt to address these identified gaps and the underlying services, CNLC

designed a local, boutique scale service that is relational to the core, founded on a 3 way-

partnership with local employers, the community and CNLC. Over time, this project has

become known as ‘Make it Work’ (MiW). A few points from the original submission for

funding are shown in the next few pages.

Social Purpose: To bridge the pathways to meaningful work for Carlton’s refugee and migrant community

through real local opportunities.

Fundamental Principles: 1. Working with the community, not just individuals: valuing the significant community cohesion and social capital that bonds refugee and migrant communities.

2. Working on a targeted, local scale to enable personalised support with both employers and the community and ensure ease of access to work, volunteer and training options for community members.

3. Co-creating training and employment pathways with both partners, ensuring community are active agents and shapers in the process and not merely ‘service seekers’; and employers have a direct role to ensure direct match of skills and needs.

4. Focusing on industries with proven upward mobility pathways with on the job training/lower barriers to entry that can fast track the time to a living wage (FMUMP 2016). The Make it Work MODEL includes these key elements:

Assessment Local Employers: Skill Needs & Capacity




Community: Language, Skills, Interest and Aspirations Co-Creation Work Pathways Training Programs Wraparound of Mentoring and Support Training & Placement Training: Work Readiness, Vocational English and/or On Job Training/Traineeships Work Experience & Volunteer Placement for those not yet work ready Ongoing Support Case Management, Mentoring and Guidance with Community Members Support to Employer/Work

In 2018, in order to test and refine this model, we proposed and have found funding for a 12 month pilot program, and are seeking funds to extend this to 2 years. This will enable us to reflexively adapt and rejig our proposed model through ‘live testing’ of a scaled down version. It also provides us with the opportunity to apply for seed funding through programs including the Victorian State Government’s Workforce Training Innovation Fund, as opposed to applying for a larger amount of funding to run an unproven model on a larger scale.

CNLC has been recently successful for a City of Melbourne Social Innovation Grant in 2019 which has also supported this new project. Make it Work project staff are based under the Carlton high-rise, in community rooms named Outreach Hub, and impact will be measured in terms of numbers of people employed in paid work and volunteering as well as various social outcomes. So, whilst there has been a long lead in time, due to lack of sufficient funding, CNLC launched the “make it Work’ project in June 2019, and is currently receiving referrals from the Carlton community – off to a great start.

List of Make it Work potential and current Key Partners (– with interest to expand this as in line with the project’s expansion.) Partners

How we work together

What’s in it for them

Local ‘Friendly’ Employers:

-Health (Conversations initiated)

Co-creation of work

pathways program

2-4 trainee/work placements which CNLC provides wrap around support to

Ability to shape and directly

influence training of new employees

employees with wrap around support to resolve ‘new hire’ hiccups

Diversity/CSR




Vocational Training Providers:

(Conversations initiated)

They provide specific

vocational training outside CNLC’s skillset

and industry networking

Funding/payment (training

providers get funded or paid for each student/course)

– raises profile of training provider across community and industry sector

Community Organisations:

Group

Organisation (Involved in development of the model)

Co-creation of work

pathways program -development of

governance model & organisational structure

– development of evaluation and impact aims/processes

Specialised employment service

with direct input (responsive to and shaped by community needs)

community with industry and training pathways

Employment Agencies

Lawrence Work + Learning Centre

Forum (Conversations initiated)

Partner to deliver

advocacy and industry networking

candidates

Community of practice – shared

learnings -Shared resources

Following the 12-month pilot program, CNLC would then look to expand a tried and tested

model to partner with additional employers that are beyond our ‘inner circle’ of community

services, focusing on new industries that fit our requirements of on the job training

opportunities and upward mobility pathways. Examples include artisan baking, phlebotomy,

motor mechanics, bookkeeping and administration (FMUMP 2016). The resourcing needs

are high as community engagement is time consuming if it is to be completed well.

But, successes can be found – and with the proper support, the sky is the limit.

___________________________________________________________________________

This report content provided by CNLC staff: Tanya Massy (Sustainability Project worker),

Elle Morrell (Community Development Coordinator), Mary Parfrey (Centre Manager) with

contributions from David Clarke and Ian Burness from CNLC Committee of Governance and

Nicole Battle (CEO) and David Perry (Policy Officer )from NHVIC.

31st August, 2019

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