Move forward into employment by getting real experience with Coles Coburg North.

A MORELAND CITY COUNCIL AND COLES

COBURG NORTH ENTRY LEVEL JOBS INITIATIVE.

Program held in September 2016

What?

Why?

Local governmentlinks with industry

A pilot project that connected unemployed young people with entry level supermarket roles, enhancing their employability and giving them confidence for the future.

are unemployed or underemployed

(The New Work Order, Foundation

for Young Australians, 2015)

10 EAGER UNEMPLOYEDYOUNG PEOPLEwere selected for the project

got jobs

6 OUT OF 10PARTICIPANTS

1 IN 3 YOUNGAUSTRALIANS

is a growing problem for Melbourne's North

(The Future Workforce:

Melbourne's North, October 2015)

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

provided by retail industryin Melbourne’s North

(The Future Workforce:

Melbourne's North, October 2015)

2ND HIGHESTEMPLOYMENTGROWTH AREA

is a key prerequisite to improving employment prospects for young people

(Inner Northern Youth Taskforce

Report 2014)

INCREASED SUPPLY OF ENTRYLEVEL JOBS

that could be replicated across the region

SCALABLE MODEL

90% OF PARTICIPANTS SAID THEY WERE MORE CONFIDENTto apply for jobs

90%

12%

between local young people and entry level jobs

CREATED A DIRECT CONNECTION

7 WEEKSThe project ran for

A PROJECT DESIGNED IN PARTNERSHIPwith the Oxygen Moreland Youth Services and Moreland Economic Development Team and Coles Coburg Noth.

How?

Council and Coles

WEEK 01

WEEK 02

WEEK 03

WEEK 04

Store tour Q&A with managers, program goals and expectations.

Responsible serving of alcohol accredited training certificate.Coles-in-house

induction and training scavenger hunt.

Public speaking training and interview practice sessions round 1

I have enjoyed being with everyone

here and just knowing that we’re all

here for the same purpose was great.

Program participant

Dr Nerina Di Lorenzo,CEO, Moreland City Council

Laura Minahan,Coles Coburg North Store Manager

Being a part of The Shift with Moreland City Council provided our team an opportunity to use and develop their skills by supporting a group of young people to take advantage of the employment provided through retail Christmas recruitment campaigns.

This project has been a positive experience for us. I would encourage other retail businesses to become involved. It is a great way to give back to the community at no cost other than through providing the time and support of a small number of your team members.

Learning about the employers

perspectives and what they are

looking for was very helpful to me.

Program participant

Early unemployment can have devastating effects on young people; on their future employability, self-esteem, their role in society, it can lead to social exclusion, a loss of motivation and mental health problems.

Youth unemployment is a significant issue and the reason why Moreland City Council plays a lead role in connecting with local business to facilitate improved local employment outcomes.

As a significant local employer, Council sought to develop a strong relationship with the Coles supermarket management team.

‘The Shift – featuring Coles’ is a positive example of how local government and industry can work collaboratively to address youth employment at a local level. Our hope is that this model will be continued by Coles and taken on board by other local retailers for implementation within their business.

WEEK 05

WEEK 06

WEEK 07

Interview practice sessions round 2 plus feedback, online application, reflections and graduation.

Work experience shifts (3 x 4 hour shifts in department of their choice) Team building and

resume writing at Youth Projects Glenroy

The amount of different activities was really good. I most

enjoyed the treasure hunt, the excursion and choosing the

food object in Coles that best reflects yourself.

Program participant

Aly’s success

I’m in fresh produce. Come past

and visit me in the morning on

any given weekday. I worked 6

days straight this week (guess

the manager liked my work ethic

because he kept calling me in lol).

Glad to have got the job, honestly,

I’m so ridiculously happy.

Thankfully things are looking up.

It’s hard to put in words how

much I appreciate this! :)

Why Coles?

THE SHIFT IS A MODEL OF HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT

AND INDUSTRY CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A

REAL DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

Coles Coburg North is a community focused organisation that provided a 'foot in the door' for local young people. They are a significant employer of young people and have high entry-level recruitment opportunities.

If you would like more information about this project contact Oxygen Moreland Youth Services on 9389 8640oxygen@moreland.vic.gov.au

moreland.vic.gov.au/the-shift

@oxygencoburg

@oxygencoburg

Special thanks to

Liliana Delio and Memory Chamunorwa – Melbourne Polytechnic students

for their professionalism, enthusiasm, time and the valuable contributions made to the development and implementation of the evaluation process and this document.

Kelly West, Amelia Mazis, Kris Walker and Scott Walsh – Youthworx

for their creative expertise, energy and ideas that resulted in the creation of The Shift short film.

Extra special thanks to the 10 young people who were courageous enough to be involved.

Oxygen Moreland Youth Services and Moreland Economic Development Team would like to acknowledge and thank the following people for the valuable contribution they made to the success of this project:

Laura Minahan – Coles Store Manager (Coburg North)

for her positive and proactive approach, community spirit and generosity of time in motivating and supporting her management team to be involved in the development and implementation of this project.

Alex McBroom – People and Culture Manager, Coles (Coburg North)

for her time, enthusiasm and commitment to assisting the young people to achieve positive outcomes.

Kerry Voss – Customer Service Manager, Coles (Coburg North)

for his time and involvement in the project, including completing two interviews with each participant and providing constructive feedback that supported them to improve their performance in interviews for real jobs.

Michael Nguyen – Youth Projects Glenroy

for his resume writing workshop and ongoing support of these young people.