It is recognised that Local Government is uniquely positioned at the heart of our communities. Subsequently, local Councils significantly shoulder the responsibility of ensuring communities’ sustainable futures. With that in mind, it is imperative that Local Government has a key stake in the future of young people. Traditionally, Councils have been heavily involved in providing social and interactive solutions to issues around young people within their constituency.
This has been effective in assisting to engage young people in proactive activities, however, the Beacon Foundation seeks to challenge Local Government further and offer an opportunity to engage young people in real sustainable employment.
The Beacon Foundation is a not for profit charitable trust with the single focus of finding new and innovative methods to tackle youth unemployment. Through a series of programs engaging communities with young people, Beacon seeks to act as the catalyst for initiating programs that provide young people with informed choices about their futures and real employment opportunities. This is made possible by real partnerships with local business, communities and importantly Local Governments.
The members of Beacon Foundation realised early on that ongoing alternatives to welfare had to be available to young people. To achieve this, Beacon developed ‘Beacon Careers’, with the aim of creating viable small businesses that could offer young people permanent ongoing employment.
Beacon’s very first 12 month demonstration Careers Program at St Helen’s on the East Coast of Tasmania was an outstanding success and has gained much acclaim. Trading initially as Beacon Seafood’s within the prescribed 12 months subsidised establishment period, 15 real jobs for young people were created, based on harvesting and processing wild oysters for the Sydney fish markets. These jobs were created out of nothing at a real cost of $5,000 each; in other words, about the cost of the dole for half a year.
One of the participants became Australian Trainee of The Year in 2000/2001 and ultimately assumed joint ownership of the continuing enterprise. The objective of this project is to establish a coordinated and focused exposure of Beacon’s national replication of the ‘Careers’ template to Local Government nationwide.
‘Beacon Careers’ relies upon Council support within each community. Central to the success of project replication is the ability of Councils to lead, provide in kind support and financial sponsorship together with Beacon Foundation.
Local Councils are a key part of Beacon’s replication strategy as they are the peak local Authority and the leaders of public opinion and action at the local level. Beacon has no doubt that youth unemployment is a local issue and that Councils must be in the vanguard, preferably leading, of work to improve how Australia handles the issue and it debilitating effects.
Suitable enterprise establishment opportunities have already been identified at the four selected locations where Beacon has been working with the local Authorities over the past couple of years. The Local Authorities include:
- Echuca/Moama – Campaspe (Vic) and Murray Shires (NSW)
- Port Stephens – Port Stephens Council
- Palmerston/Darwin – Palmerston Council
- New Norfolk/Hobart – Derwent Valley Council.
Each Authority is currently working with Beacon to select a local enterprise creation opportunity suitable for the creation of local, real jobs for local unemployed young people.
Once enterprises are selected, appropriate feasibility studies and business plans will be prepared by Beacon. If these are positive and the Councils decide to proceed, Beacon will provide substantial financial assistance to assist their establishment and progress through the 12 month establishment phase with a view to enterprise start ups during 2004.
The first of the replication sites, and most advanced, is New Norfolk Tasmania, where a contracting business focused on the activity of stonewall construction, will trade initially in the local area employing welfare dependent young people. The new business will undertake Council works for the first six months after which local orders will be sought from both local citizens and businesses.
Council will assist this process by promotional activities and functions, which direct local attention on the young people and their endeavours.
It is Beacon’s objective to make these four demonstration sites the focus of as much Local Government attention as reasonably possible.
The Beacon Foundation has received ‘agreement in principle’ from each of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Local Government Managers Australia and the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia to assist Beacon in seeking to demonstrate an improved approach for Local Government to address youth unemployment in local regions.
It is anticipated that, over time, there will be several initiatives that focus on Local Government as a key stakeholder. In the event that other Councils are inspired to follow suit, Beacon will at least provide oversight and advisory support.
If additional financial resources become available, then Beacon will develop suitable strategies to stimulate and assist additional volunteer Councils.
Beacon has been invited by ALGA to run a workshop on the Beacon Careers job creation template at the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra to be held in November. This will provide the opportunity to showcase all four ‘Careers’ sites exposing the ‘Careers template’ more broadly, as well as giving delegates a comprehensive understanding of the Beacon Foundation and associated programs.
