Engineering employment pathways in remote communities and the (false) hope of collaborative service provision

John Guenther, Eva McRae-Williams and Claire KilgariffPresented to the NARU seminar seriesDarwin, 19 November 2014

Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation

Goals:

1. To develop new ways to build resilience and strengthen regional communities and economies across remote Australia.

2. To build new enterprises and strengthen existing industries that, provide jobs, livelihoods and incomes in remote areas.

3. To improve the education and training pathways in remote areas so that people have better opportunities to participate in the range of economies that exist.

http://crc-rep.com/research

“A place of national significance in Indigenouseducation—strengthening identity, achieving successand transforming lives.”Batchelor Institute is a dual sector tertiary educationprovider that services the education, training and researchneeds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Vocation Education and Training

Research and Higher Education

Undergraduate

ACIKE

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Background: key contextual issues

• Relatively low participation in employment among Aboriginal people in the NT

• Other social concerns in communities: safety, child protection, school attendance, housing, health

• Service provision to remote communities• Limited success of past employment transition

programs

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Qualifications and employment in two remote* contexts2011 Census data Alice Springs Thamarrurr

Place of WorkQualification levels based on

Non-Indigenous and not stated

Aboriginal and/or Torres

Strait Islanders

Non-Indigenous and not stated

Aboriginal and/or Torres

Strait Islanders

Diploma and above 3948 137 90 12Certificate III and IV 2242 188 60 27Up to Certificate II 4202 552 64 223Total 10392 877 214 262Per cent with up to Cert II* 40% 63% 30% 85%Place of Usual ResidenceTotal population (POUR) 20497 4690 186 2117Unemployed (based on POUR) 264 154 3 123NILF (based on POUR) 2434 1462 15 874

Caring for children 450 631Not caring for children 900 196

Population aged under 20 2012 1062

* As defined by ABS 5

Numerous studies over the last decade or more on training and employment among remote students

• A selection• ANTARAC 1998: Djama and VET• NTCOSS 2004: Creating effective pathways• Young et al 2007: Growing the desert• Guenther et al. 2008a: NCVER Welfare to Work • Guenther et al. 2011: TrainingPlus (CAT)• Guenther et al. 2008b: NCVER Partnerships• Guenther et al. 2010: Nungalinya• Wallace and Appo 2011: E-learning• Kral and Schwab 2012: Youth literacy and media

• These studies point to a need for• Integrated, client focused, collaborative service delivery• Connection of training to community needs• Capacity building

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Rationale for the current approach

• Foundation Skills• Skills for Education and Employment• Remote Jobs and Communities Program

http://www.nssc.natese.gov.au/21c/foundation_skills

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The case for collaboration

• Better access to external resources• More efficient use of shared resources• Better coordination of services, reduced duplication• Reduced risk for stakeholders• Shared knowledge• Creativity, improved problem solving• A more holistic approach for clients

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Two cases

• Wadeye• Batchelor, TRAAC and TDC (RJCP)• Focus on foundation skills

• Alice Springs• Batchelor, CAT, Tangentyere Jobs (RJCP)• Focus on construction

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What can we learn?

• Flawed assumptions: What happens when the engineering fails?• Problem is not a lack of jobs• The Human Capital drivers are in themselves not adequate to entice

people into (and stay on) the pathway• Pitfalls of collaboration

• Organisational and relational challenges associated with working remotely

• Finding common purpose• Time to build trusted relationships • But attrition remains the key challenge• Capacity and skills required to collaborate

• How could remote community labour force outcomes be improved?• Strategies to achieve client buy in• Compliance driven vs community driven initiatives

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Conclusion

• Rationales for engineered pathways and collaborative service delivery still hold;

• But we can’t assume they will hold up in remote contexts to the same extent as in non-remote contexts

• Buy in from program participants needs to be factored into the collaborative process;

• Collaboration is not the solution for remote service delivery.• Even when collaboration is strong, it does not necessarily make a

significant difference

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Contact

John Guenther, john.guenther@flinders.edu.au0412 125 661

Eva McRae-Williams, eva.mcrae-williams@batchelor.edu.au0400 759 153

Claire Kilgarriff, Claire.kilgarriff@batchelor.edu.au0401 119 108

Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation http://www.crc-rep.com

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