Improving Indigenous employment services in NT

The Australian Government is reforming employment services nationally and will provide greater resources for Indigenous job seekers, with more locally tailored employment assistance.

The reformed employment services will replace the Job Network and provide personalised assistance, skills development and training to help Northern Territory (NT) Indigenous job seekers to find and keep a job.

Employment services are moving into a new phase with major reforms to the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) and universal employment services beginning on 1 July 2009.

The reformed IEP and employment services will ensure more effective delivery of services, localised approaches to help Indigenous people into jobs and better links with the communities.

Thirty-four Community Employment Brokers were placed in a number of NT communities on a temporary basis to promote Job Network services to local community members.

During community consultations for the reformed Indigenous employment services, communities indicated that resources needed to be more targeted to community needs to achieve successful employment outcomes.

Community Employment Brokers will finish on 30 June 2009.

The reforms are in line with the outcomes of the Northern Territory Emergency Response Review Board Report.

The new universal employment services provide personalised and more tailored assistance to help disadvantaged job seekers gain the skills and training to find and keep a job.

The Government has committed $764 million over five years to IEP.

The employment reforms are key to making progress on the Government’s aim of halving the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade.