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Strengthening Indigenous organisations through skills transfer

Jobs, Land and Economy
Indigenous man in blue shirt and jeans with Indigenous women in black top and white striped black skirt standing in front of MEP office.

As a young Indigenous employment organisation, Miwatj Employment and Participation (MEP) in far North East Arnhem Land is committed to its staff development and has capitalised on the opportunity for skills transfer from the Jarwun secondment program.

Miwatj Employment and Participation (MEP) has a critical role to play in the homelands and communities of North East Arnhem Land, supporting over 800 Yolngu and non-Indigenous people to participate in local economies and job markets.

MEP assists with job placements, work-for-the-dole activities, training, business support, grassroots initiatives and community development. MEP clients are predominantly disadvantaged job seekers with little work history and limited literacy and numeracy skills.

As a young organisation – starting from scratch in mid-2013 – MEP acknowledges the importance of staff development and a corporate culture of professionalism. Jeremy Kee, Chief Executive Officer of MEP, began working with Louise Law, Regional Director for Jawun, to capitalise on the opportunity for skills transfer from corporate organisations with a commitment to regional development.

“We wanted to tap into the suite of soft-skills expertise and day-to-day habits of professionalism that the Commonwealth Bank – a high quality customer-oriented business – is known for,” Jeremy said.

In late September 2015 Kate Reaper, a Commonwealth Bank (CBA) secondee with a background in human services, began her Jawun secondment at MEP. After consulting with key frontline coordinators, Kate held training workshops in project planning and management, communications, everyday professionalism and workplace conflict resolution.

Alongside marketing colleagues, Kate revised the MEP logo and produced a marketing and style guide, a team email signature, and branded templates for official documents. Finally, she put in place the beginnings of an induction package for new staff, to sustain the good practices agreed as integral to a professional and effective MEP.

In February 2016, Courtney McKean (also a human services specialist from the CBA) commenced her Jawun secondment, taking over where Kate left off and working closely in the community of Gapuwiyak with Regional Coordinator Gutjupin Gumana.

Courtney passed on best practice principles in time management, asset management and effective administration processes. Courtney also advised Gutjupin on team leadership, setting up weekly staff meetings to review progress, and establishing simple performance management processes.

The improved professionalism has helped MEP to flourish as the Community Development Programme provider in the region, with dramatic improvement in the number of work-for-the-dole participants being placed in work activities, more accurate monitoring of community initiatives on the ground, and an overall more harmonious workplace.

Cherie Forbes, MEP Operations Manager, thought one of the biggest outcomes of Kate and Courtney’s secondments was that Gutjupin became “more confident in the fulfilment of his role”, because he knew that he was making a positive change, and supporting his team.

The secondees themselves have also taken away new skills and learning.

Courtney, who considers her experiences and friendships in a remote community ‘unique and out of this world’, now wants to become a professional trainer.

Kate said her experience was life changing.

“It has forever altered the way I view myself, my country and my world,” Kate said.

Find out more

The Australian Government is committed to working with Indigenous leaders, organisations and communities to set priorities and deliver practical projects which promote Indigenous ownership and responsibility in their respective regions under the banner of Empowered Communities.

Empowered Communities is an initiative of Indigenous leaders from eight regions across the country, including the Central Coast of NSW, brought together by Jawun Corporate Partnerships in 2013.

Jawun is a not-for-profit organisation which brings together corporate, government and philanthropic organisations with Indigenous people to enable real change.

More information is available at Miwatj Employment and Participation.