8th Indigenous Recruitment & Training Summit

8th Annual Indigenous Recruitment and Training Summit
8 -9 May 2012 | Duxton Hotel Perth

Now in its 8th year, the Indigenous Recruitment & Training Summit returns to Perth this May.

This year, the agenda features:

• Yvonne Henderson, Commissioner for Equal Opportunity, Government of WA
• Dr. Kim Schofield, Deputy Commissioner, Capability and Development, Public Sector Commission, Government of WA
• Ralph Keller, Managing Director, Civil Road & Rail SX5- Portaccomm SX5 Building Systems
• Jenni Collard, Director, Office of Aboriginal Health, Department of Health WA
• Taryn Langdon, Manager Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre, Department of Training and Workforce Development, Government of WA
• Professor Colleen Hayward, Head, Kurongkurl Katitjin, Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research, Edith Cowan University
• James Pearson, Chief Executive, Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA
  

Look out for the detailed agenda and speaker line-up to be available shortly !

Request your copy here

For speaking enquiries, contact: Hannah Guz at Hannah.guz@informa.com.au or call Hannah on 02 9080 4326

Last year the Indigenous Recruitment and Training Summit drew a wide spectrum of delegates from leading companies across Australia as well as from state, federal and local governments. Based on delegates’ request, this year’s event will heavily focus on providing greater learning outcomes from the sessions that they could take away and implement in their organisations.

Keeping this in mind this year the program will be clearly structured around strategies while also looking at new programmes being implemented across the country.

KEY THEMES

• Federal and state government initiatives and programmes
• Local government initiatives in Western Australia
• Private industry case studies
• Public industry and government case studies
• Engaging the indigenous community
• Cultural issues underpinning recruitment and retention
• Strategies for empowering indigenous employees

Building organisational commitment – integrating indigenous policy into business plan

• Building sustainable and strong relationships with the community
• Integrating understanding and commitment to Indigenous culture and values into workforce training and policy
• Creating deliberate and specific programs for indigenous recruitment, training, ongoing career development and retention
• Engaging with local indigenous businesses

The importance of partnerships

• It is critical that the community is engaged as an active partner in planning and implementing indigenous economic participation. The need to move away from a passive ‘acceptance’ culture to active partnerships with a voice in their future is key to success.

Recruitment Strategies

• Traditional HR strategies that treat everyone alike can create barriers for Indigenous employees as they try to integrate with mainstream workforce. This segment looks at the need to create specific strategies that are culturally sensitive, understand the community experience and enable effective communication during recruitment. Cultural training, the use of community networks and indigenous organisations to advertise vacancies and to understand needs in the area, a look at affirmative action - Acceptable vs best candidate- mentoring and also at how to identify roles that indigenous employees would excel or work well in.

Retentions Strategies

• Underpinned by flexibility – workplace design – cultural sensitivity – ongoing mentoring and support – career development ops – addressing racism and prejudice – family support – work readiness programs – enabling and enhancing self esteem

Education and Training

• Upskilling and career development for existing employees (apprenticeships, on job training, work ready programs etc)
• Enhancing the employment /talent pool in the region and community
• A look at issues for schooling, university and VET

Indigenous Businesses

The conference is underpinned by two key ideas –

Firstly that indigenous training and education must be shaped by cultural understanding and engagement and create effective pathways from vocational and tertiary education to active employment and economic participation.

Secondly, the need for indigenous recruitment and training to go beyond corporate responsibility and become a tool for business success.

Indigenous participation in education has remained the critical barrier to greater economic participation as skilling remains low meaning that advancement into more skilled and responsible roles has remained stagnant. The need to redesign educational and recruitment pathways to reflect Indigenous life and traditional experience is seen as the key to better outcomes.

Get involved ! Register you place now here