Firm a finalist for working at jobs

LOCAL manufacturer Hume Doors and Timber’s was announced as a national awards finalist for giving job seekers a hand up.
Hume Doors and Timber’s efforts to give down-on-their-luck Aussies a job has seen the manufacturer recognised as a Champion Employer.
The company’s Victorian facility, located in Dandenong South, was named as one of Australia’s top three employers for their dedication to helping disadvantaged job seekers secure employment.
They were named as a national finalist for the Champion Employer of the Year Award in the prestigious National Employment Awards for Excellence.
The Australian-owned manufacturer was nominated by WISE Employment, and employs 120 full-time staff at its Dandenong South manufacturing plant and warehouse. Almost half these people initially struggled to find employment due to lack of vocational skills, poor English, age barriers, disability or a criminal history.
The awards’ judges were especially impressed with how company management embrace diversity, and their commitment to accommodating the needs of employees – who hail from more than 20 ethnic and religious backgrounds and range in age from recent school leavers to 60-year-olds.
“To create a more diverse workplace, we employ local people from a great variety of ethnic backgrounds,” Hume Doors and Timber HR manager Paul Harding said.
“We also find that a mixture of ages adds to the overall team balance at our site. Our view is that people deserve a second chance, and this can involve a helping hand and some flexibility,” Mr Harding said.
Hume Doors and Timber will vie for the National Champion Employer Award, sponsored by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), against Geraldton Meat Exports in Western Australia and national lawn mower maker Cox Industries.
Two other Awards will be announced at the same presentation: the National Employment Achiever of the Year Award (also sponsored by DEEWR) recognises former job seekers who have overcome extraordinary barriers to find full-time employment; and the Employment Consultant of the Year Award recognises those who work with employers to help these job seekers.
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner with Senator Mark Arbib, the Minister for Employment Participation and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery, in Sydney on Thursday 27 August.