New life course for outworkers

ELEVEN outworkers celebrated the completion of their childcare training course as part of a $14,000 State Government initiative last week.
Industrial Relations Minister Martin Pakula said the outworkers had transformed their lives. They had gone from making clothes at home for as little as $5 an hour to training for an occupation that was essential to the community – and better paid.
“The government is taking action to encourage more Victorians to expand their skills and create new jobs,” Mr Pakula told graduates and their guests.
“These outworkers have graduated from a nationally recognised Certificate III course in children’s services that will help satisfy a growing demand in the south-eastern suburbs for childcare and family day care workers.”
He said the government had long sought to help protect outworkers from exploitation and at the same time develop solutions to the shortage of skilled labour.
“That is why we have developed partnerships between government agencies, employers, unions, community groups and training providers that help address the barriers faced by outworkers and to enable them to access a more diverse range of employment opportunities,” he said.
Clayton MP Hong Lim said the outworker retraining program had improved the technical and English language skills of outworkers, which had helped to increase their earnings.