By Casey Neill
Unemployment was a key focus in Greater Dandenong right from the start of 2017.
Councillors voted to establish a mayoral taskforce to tackle youth unemployment in particular at their January meeting.
In November, the council unveiled the Mayoral Youth Employment Taskforce Action Plan.
The first objective is to bring together young people and industry through a jobs fair.
In March, the State Government launched a $500,000 project to upskill disadvantaged jobseekers and connect them with employers, the Dandenong-Doveton Community Revitalisation project.
The funding will enable the One Percent Project to involve more businesses and better connect the region’s employment programs with local job opportunities.
The Dandenong-Doveton Community Revitalisation project overall will strengthen links between employers, school transition programs and TAFE institutes to create more opportunities for early school leavers to get into pre-apprenticeship programs.
The City of Greater Dandenong Employment Taskforce will work closely with community service agencies and schools to connect families struggling to find work with employment services and employers.
The year featured plenty of employment success stories, too.
In November, Daniel’s Donuts hosted Industry and Employment Minister Ben Carroll to highlight the Jobs Victoria program and partner organisation The Bridge.
The Springvale business employed two young women from multicultural backgrounds through the project about six months earlier.
