RWA Redfern Waterloo UPDATE -DECEMBER 2006
Groundbreaking
training enterprise – Yaama Dhinawan opens in Darlington
The first group at Yaama Dhinawan with Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo
and chef Matthew Cribb.
The RWA’s Yaama Dhinawan Hospitality
Training College
has opened its doors at 255 Wilson
Street, Darlington
on the site of the old Eveleigh Railyards. The first course started on 23
October training 16 Aboriginal parents who are keen to get a start in the
hospitality industry.
Waterloo
local Sarah Johnson said she is really enjoying the course. ‘What I’ve learnt
has exceeded my expectations,’ she said. ‘After this course I am going to work
as a barista or in catering.’
Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Beryl Van- Oploo, a former TAFE
teacher and caterer and Matthew Cribb, an Aboriginal chef and caterer with over
10 years experience, are helping train the participants.
The college is already available for functions and will soon
be opening to the public as a café with a bush foods flavour.
Yaama Dhinawan is an initiative of the Redfern-Waterloo
Authority which has invested $750,000 on a groundbreaking project that the
community can be proud of.
Five 8-week courses in Certificate II Hospitality
(Operations) will be run out of Yaama Dhinawan next year. The first one for the
year (starting 5 February 2007) is for sole parents.
Future courses will be open to ALL unemployed people wanting
to work in the hospitality industry. If this sounds like you, or if you are a
business in the hospitality industry looking for committed and well-trained
staff, please contact Louise Wagner at the RWA on 9202 9100 or louise.wagner@rwa.nsw.gov.au .
Construction industry training will also commence out of the
centre in 2007.
Seasons Greetings
The Board and Staff of the Redfern-Waterloo Authority wish
you a safe and happy festive season and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.
Diploma in Business
Management
Over the past four months, 14 people from not-for-profit
organisations in the area have been attending the RWA offices to study a
Diploma in Business Management with Rob Rickaby from Training Essentials. The
Diploma will broaden their job prospects and gives them management skills in
finance, human resources, OH&S, marketing and administration.
Photo: Diploma in Business Management students.
Congratulations
Allana!
Allana Varga was the first apprentice on the Carriageworks
site at North Eveleigh, and is building
company St Hillier’s first female apprentice. She got her opportunity through
the RWA’s Indigenous Employment Strategy.
Allana is now in the second year of her construction
carpentry apprenticeship. She received a Field Officers Choice Award at MG
MyGateway’s Annual Trainee and Apprentice Awards night held in late October.
Photo: Allana receives her Award. She is pictured with Adam
Farmer, MyGateway’s Employment Services Manager.
Local job creation
The RWA is talking to businesses with the aim of increasing
the employment opportunities and involvement of local young people and the
unemployed by matching vocational skills training with available jobs.
This will benefit local businesses, so that when they are
next looking to put on staff, they can have the option of recruiting from
people who live in the area, know the area well and who want to work close to
where they live. For further information, contact Chris Ryan at the RWA
on 9202 9100 or chris.ryan@rwa.nsw.gov.au
.
Chris Ryan talking with Stephen Jin at his Redfern Street
newsagency
Construction
opportunities in Redfern-Waterloo
Construction jobs
continue to be created and filled in Redfern-Waterloo through the RWA’s
groundbreaking Indigenous Employment Model, which assists companies to employ
Aboriginal people in the construction industry. More than 120 construction jobs
have been created since last year. Employment numbers will increase as the pace
of urban renewal quickens.
FRH Group
Aboriginal employment
in action
Building company FRH Group has embraced Aboriginal
participation and job creation during construction of the RWA’s new $47.5
million research building at the Australian
Technology Park.
FRH has created 13 jobs for Aboriginal people, the majority
of these being apprenticeships and traineeships, as part of their commitment to
create 26 jobs during the construction phase.
The jobs have included an apprentice electrician, business
administration trainee, apprentice plumber, trainee steelfixer, apprentice
formworker and traffic controller.
‘The RWA and the group employment company MyGateway have
made the process of filling the positions very simple,’ says Craig McFarlane,
the FRH Project Manager.
‘The apprentices and trainees are good workers who are keen
to learn about their chosen trade.’
‘Having them pre-trained and ticketed through the Koori Job
Ready course means they are prepared for the work environment,’ he said.
Photo: Terry Kelly, Tim King, Aaron M arr, Corey Carr, and
Lorna Munro with FRH site foreman Mario Menna (second from right).
Photo: Job Ready course participants at work.
The next Koori Job
Ready course will start at the North Eveleigh training centre in March 2007.
For information about the next course, contact Terry Kelly at the RWA on 9202
9100 or terry.kelly@rwa.nsw.gov.au
.
PROFILE: Raymond
Russell
Raymond Russell from Waterloo has just
completed the Koori Job Ready course in construction. He spent 10 weeks on a
pre-apprenticeship course at Lidcombe TAFE learning the basics of carpentry, brick
laying, painting, scaffolding, traffic controlling and concreting. Raymond has
picked up his OH&S card, forklift drivers licence and senior first aid
certificate.
Unemployed and looking for work before starting the course,
Raymond said he needed to gain knowledge and skills plus the confidence to get
full time employment.
‘The course has been fantastic. It has taught me about
safety and how to work in a team environment, which I know is so important when
working on a building site.’
Raymond will now be placed into an apprenticeship on one of
the construction sites in Redfern-Waterloo.
Aboriginal Business
Service success story
The Aboriginal Business Service is a free, confidential,
one-on-one service that operates out of the RWA’s office at the former TNT Tower
in Redfern. It is available to any Aboriginal person with a business idea or
who has a business and wants some advice. In the short time it has been
operating, the Service has assisted a number of people to set up their own
business.
GTE Fitness
Helen Empacher sought the assistance of the Aboriginal
Business Service to make sure that the first step she took into small business
was on the right foot.
‘I wanted to make sure we were on the right path and that we
were setting ourselves up properly to be a success,’ says Helen. ‘We didn’t
want to fail the first go.’
Helen visited the RWA Aboriginal Business Service with her
business partner, husband Jurgen.
Together they run GTE Fitness, providing fitness training to
individuals and small groups in Sydney’s
Eastern Suburbs.
The plan for the future is to focus the business on
children’s fitness. Helen’s background as a primary school teacher will partner
perfectly with her husband’s fitness skills.
‘The goal is to combine both skills, write programs that are
school-based and go into schools and present them from Kindergarten to Year 6,’
said Helen.
Right now, Helen continues to work full time as a teacher,
while putting in hours before and after school for the business. Visiting the
Business Service was necessary to take GTE Fitness to the next level.
Helen and Jurgen had one session with Business Adviser
Philip Schwenke. They said they received invaluable information that led them
to change their plan to structure the business.
‘Phil gave lots of different scenarios for how we could
structure the business, in terms of taxation, and whether to set it up as a
partnership or a sole trader,’ Helen said.
‘The other thing that was really helpful was showing us a
few different places to approach in order to get some finance.’
Something that really left an impression with Helen was how
comfortable she felt visiting the Service.
‘I felt very welcome. Phil made us feel very at ease, and as
an Aboriginal person sometimes it’s hard to approach others for help. It was
nice to be able to walk into an office and feel like I had something to offer
to the situation.’
Helen says she recommends the Aboriginal Business Service as
a ‘safe and welcoming place’ to discuss business ideas.
To book an appointment with Philip Schwenke, Business
Advisor, call 9202 9100.
To contact GTE Fitness phone 0433 419 434.
Photo: Helen (right) and Jurgen Empacher with son Jazmann.
Need Assistance?
For more information or to send us your feedback please
contact the Redfern-Waterloo Authority, Level 11, Tower 2,1 Lawson Square, Redfern
Tel: (02) 9202 9100 Fax: (02) 9202 9111 Mail: PO Box 3332, Redfern
NSW 2016 Email: redfernwaterloo@rwa.nsw.gov.au
Internet: www.redfernwaterloo.com.au