Conference Papers
Session EDE1.2. Employment, development and service delivery: sustainable futures?
1. Gavin Mate: Changing Mindsets and Attitudes to access Career Pathways
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This presentation will explore ways in which human behaviour can hinder or assist an individual to achieve their full potential to gain a career outcome. The key element of success within career placement is having the right fit, including attitudinal, behavioural, skills, experience, talent and values. On the back of the success of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy, engagement in early stages of life Year 7 onwards does provide a greater chance of career placement. This engagement lays the foundation of the expectations and commences the educational process of understanding the key elements of success within a career placement. We will explore how a School Based Career Preparatory program captures not just the hearts and minds of the participants but commences the pathway to success.
Author: Now General Manager of Group Training at the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES), Gavin Mate is a proud descendent from Kamilaroi country of North Western NSW. He has been working with the AES for four years, and is responsible for leading and managing the planning, communication, people development and business execution needed to successfully achieve strategic and operational outcomes, that ultimately deliver on the AES’ company’s vision and mission ‐ to create a career opportunity for every Indigenous Australian. As a result of Gavin’s work, and that of his team, the AES has become a national leader for Indigenous School Based Traineeship, which allows Indigenous high school students from the end of year 10 or the beginning of year 11 to complete a two year traineeship whilst studying for their HSC with the possibility of securing an ongoing career upon completion of high school. Gavin now works tirelessly to deliver traineeships and apprenticeships to career seekers of all ages across a range of industry sectors including business administration, financial services, building and construction, retail, agriculture, logistics, hospitality, and community services, as well as managing trainees for Host Employers since 2002. As a 100% Indigenous run organisation, Gavin believes the key attraction to working with the AES is engaging with fellow Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. He enjoys helping the AES contribute to both Indigenous and non‐Indigenous sectors of the broader community. Gavin’s short‐term goals for the AES are to strengthen mentoring and career coaching for all trainees within the Career Preparatory Programs, providing them with the knowledge and skills to secure fulfilling careers. Prior to his work with the AES, Gavin spent 20 years in the public service environment, empowering people to move through and beyond times of hardship. Gavin is a charismatic presenter and is able to speak confidently and sincerely about the Aboriginal Employment Strategy, specifically skilling for the future, career planning and participation in the workplace.
2. Sharlene Leroy-Dyer:Indigenous employment in the banking industry
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Training and career development is especially important when it comes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples hold a unique position in Australian society yet they are the most disadvantaged group in the community. Their disadvantage is a direct result of the effects of European invasion. Historically, they have been systematically excluded from many institutions of Australian society such as social security, industrial relations and education systems. The unemployment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is three times the national average, the highest unemployment rate of any group in the Australian labour market. Participation rates, skills, qualifications and income are all well below those of the non-Indigenous population. This legacy of discrimination has meant that few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had any high school education, which resulted in a lack of skills, low employment and lead to a reliance on welfare dependency. Recently, governments have attempted to be proactive in promoting Indigenous employment, and by putting policies into place to redress the disadvantage that Indigenous peoples face.
Many industries and organisations have utilised these government policies and have made a commitment to redressing the disadvantaged that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face. One such industry, the banking industry, utilises mentoring as part of their commitment to Indigenous employment. Mentoring in this instance, is a way of connecting generations, where mentors put a lifetime of experience into nurturing young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their careers, empowering them. This paper considers a range of employment programs, including mentoring programs that the Banking industry has utilised as part of their commitment to redressing this disadvantage through employment and training.
Author bio: Sharlene Leroy-Dyer is a proud Aboriginal woman, from the Wirajuri and Dhurag peoples, born in Sydney, NSW. Sharlene has a Bachelor of Business (Hons) from the University of Newcastle. She owns and operates Murrorong Business Solutions, an Aboriginal Business and Employment Relations consultancy business which works closely with the NSW Indigneous Chamber of Commerce and Mandurah Hunter Indigenous Business Chamber. Sharlene is employed by the University of Newcastle as a lecturer and researcher in the Newcastle Business school and the Wollotuka Institute and with the Department of Education and Training as an Aboriginal Mentor in The Way ahead for Aboriginal people program. Sharlene completed her Honours thesis in 2006, A qualitative study of mentoring outcomes for Indigenous trainees at the University of Newcastle. Sharlene is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Newcastle researching the policies and strategies which private sector organisations have adopted to redress Labour market disadvantage for Indigenous Australians, and the impact of these policies. Sharlene has successfully been awarded two competitive Research Grants to complete the field research component of this thesis. In addition, Sharlene has published several articles from her research so far. Sharlene has a real passion for breaking welfare dependency and fostering Indigenous economic independence. Her own experiences in the workplace inspired her to study. Her ultimate goal is to impart the knowledge and experience she has gained around Indigenous employment issues to non-Indigenous people/organizations and to empower Indigenous employees in reaching their full potential.
3. Hassan Ibrahim Rkein: Participation of Indigenous Australians in Accounting Education and Profession: Some Insights from International Comparisons
Full paper | Audio | Video | Slideshow
The demographic distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in Australia is relatively young. In 2008, almost half (49%) of Australia's Indigenous population was aged under 20 years. The above demographic situation indicates an acute need to increase the participation of young Indigenous people in education and the workforce. Accounting is one area where there is a serious shortage of qualified professionals. The participation of Indigenous people in accounting education and profession is, however, very low. A study by Rkein and Norris (2010) indicated that there were only about nine Indigenous qualified accountants in Australia. The current low participation is also another barrier to increasing future participation of young people because there are so few role models and mentors for the young people. In this paper we would like to emphasize that the participation of Indigenous people in accounting is not only critical to their job prospects but also their ability to protect and develop the community’s assets. The objective of this study is to identify some insights into the low participation of Indigenous Australians in accounting education and profession. A review of the literature, unfortunately, indicates a paucity of research in the area. As a starting point this paper is focused on an international comparison of research in other countries to provide some insights to providing framework for research in Australia. This paper will also use data collected by the author from young Indigenous students and teachers to look into the obstacles that impede them from entering the accounting profession. The study highlights Indigenous education in general, Indigenous culture, accounting system and the role of colonization as major impediments to participation and success of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the study of accounting subjects and later choosing accounting as a profession. One of the critical factors would be how the current generation of Indigenous accountants could be organized to act as role models and mentors for the next generation.
Author bio: Hassan Ibrahim Rkein came to Australia on 13th of June 2005 on a student visa from Lebanon, after completion year twelve, following by a successful two years of a science degree, which was interrupted due to travel to Australia. On my arrival, I attended an intensive English course for 20 weeks, started my accounting degree in 2006 and finished the three years course, only within two years and six months, because throughout my degree I was enrolled in Certificate four in business which exempted me of four subjects from my university degree (saved me six months). Following that, by the end of 2009, I was granted a bachelor of arts with a second class honours (I was pleased that the fees were paid by the school to the international office). Although it was enough to enrol in a PhD, however I managed to upgrade from masters to PhD within the first six months in 2011. I now work at Charles Darwin University as a part time lecturer in accounting. I am now proud to be a permanent resident of Australia on the 22/10/2011. The followings are quotes, which were copied of emails: “Hassan is keen and will be a good PhD student. We desperately need him to be able to take this step along the way” (Professor Gweneth Norris, 20 March 2009), He is a good 'bet' for a completion: like his successfully completed brother Dr Ali Rkein he is a dedicated student and it now appears researcher. He had an excellent undergraduate degree (Dr Merrilyn Wasson, 20 March 2009).