Finance industry training for 20 Indigenous Australians

Twenty Indigenous Queenslanders will receive jobs and training in the finance industry as a result of the Australian Government’s Indigenous Employment Program.

Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development Mark Arbib today said the initiative was possible with to the support of the Commonwealth Bank and LBF Consulting.

“This project was developed to meet industry requirements for entry-level jobs and is an excellent opportunity for Indigenous Australians to get the skills needed to get a foot in the door in the finance industry,” Senator Arbib said.

“Once the participants have completed their pre-employment training, the Commonwealth Bank will offer them a job, with the option of further accredited training.

“LBF Consulting will mentor participants throughout their training and for the first six months of employment, to ensure any barriers to employment can be overcome.

“This project is another example of how the Government and industry are working together to build employment and training opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

“This isn’t training for training’s sake, it’s training that leads to a real job.”

Senator Arbib said Treasury predicted 500 000 jobs would be created over the next two years and it was critical that Indigenous Australians had the support and training they needed to take up employment.

“Indigenous employment is not a short-term issue. Over the next four years the Australian Government has committed almost $650 million to the Indigenous Employment Program and $50 million to the Indigenous Youth Careers Pathway Program,” Senator Arbib said.

“This is part of the Gillard Government’s target to create more than 100 000 jobs for Indigenous Australians by 2018.”