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Publish Date: 13 August 2021
The highly successful Working for Victoria Program has come to a close in Buloke with Council noting the high achievements of the initiative at its August Council Meeting.
The Victorian Government’s $500 million Working for Victoria initiative was designed to support communities and contribute to the state’s ability to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by helping jobseekers find work and employers find those workers.
It was announced in May 2020 that Buloke Shire would participate in the program, funded to employ up to 50 people for a six-month period.
In accommodating 50 positions, 53 staff passed through the program including 32 Buloke Shire residents and a further 13 from neighboring shires.
In further good news for those employed under the program, 16 people have since found employment with Council following the completion of their contract and several more with other Councils.
The program also provided a range of capacity building opportunities for incumbent staff in onboarding the new temporary staff and leading them in day-to-day duties.
Some highlights from the program include:
“The Working for Victoria Program has been a success in Buloke and was quite an undertaking for our organisation, that reaped huge rewards. To be able to provide employment that had a positive impact on so many local families in such an uncertain time is exceptional”, said Mayor Cr Daryl Warren.
“Our involvement in the program saw families move back to the area to gain employment who are now planning their future where they grew up to raise their families.
“It also gave Council an opportunity to target a lot of projects that would have proven hard to complete without these additional resources. I applaud our incumbent staff on embracing the program for the benefit of other people who were needing employment at the most difficult of times.
“We thank the Victorian Government for their support and congratulate each participant in the program for their efforts in building a better Buloke”.
The last of the staff employed under the Working for Victoria Program finished with Buloke Shire on 30 June 2021.
View the Council Report on the Working for Victoria Program in Buloke Shire.
End release For further information contact Manager Customer Engagement, Travis Fitzgibbon on 03 5478 0181 or tfitzgibbon@buloke.vic.gov.au