Interview - ABC Riverina Breakfast with Sally Bryant
SALLY BRYANT:
It’s 09.50 on Breakfast, and if you’re on the lookout for a new career, if you’ve been falling on hard times during the pandemic, maybe struggling to find work, well, an interesting story for you now, because the Wagga Wagga Jobs Fair is hitting town tomorrow. I’m joined this morning by Luke Howarth, who is the Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services. Good morning, Luke.
LUKE HOWARTH:
Good morning, Sally. Great to be with you this morning.
SALLY BRYANT:
Hey, thanks for joining me. What is going to be happening in Wagga Wagga tomorrow?
LUKE HOWARTH:
Yeah, look, as you said, it’s a great opportunity for people that are looking to find work down at Kyeamba Smith Hall in Wagga Wagga Showgrounds. The Australian Government is putting on a jobs fair from 10am to 3pm, and the purpose of a jobs fair is really for anyone looking to perhaps get back into the workforce or change careers, or perhaps you’ve been on sort of government support for years and you’re wanting to finally get that job. At the moment there’s a great opportunity because employers right around the country are looking for workers, and including in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales – in fact, the unemployment rate in New South Wales and in Wagga Wagga is even lower than the national average. And so employers are screaming out for local workers. So, great opportunity tomorrow to find work.
SALLY BRYANT:
So who is actually going to be front and centre tomorrow at the Showground?
LUKE HOWARTH:
Well, it’s put on by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, an Australian Government department of which I’m Assistant Minister in that department. So there’ll be staff there from DESE, that department, but it’ll be- I can’t make it down from Queensland tomorrow where I am, but the Honourable Michael McCormack will be officially opening it. But there will be employers there, so up to, I think, 23 employers, sorry, that will be there for job seekers to talk to, as well as jobactive providers, as well as the DESE staff. And so what people will experience when they go in tomorrow, they'll be able to update their resume, or they'll be able to get tips for interviewing. They'll hear from what employers look for when hiring. Now that's really important, because if people haven't been in the workforce for a while, or they haven't been for a job interview, they will have - be able to explain what is it that they actually look for when hiring, and that will give job seekers a real advantage when going for an interview.
SALLY BRYANT:
So will there be discussions around traineeships and apprenticeships?
LUKE HOWARTH:
There will. There's lots of apprenticeships and traineeships on offer. So there's 1,500 jobs alone with Secure Energy, which is running transmission lines. They've got a contract down there. But there's apprenticeships that are on offer and traineeships. And there'll be certain workshops that people can attend to hear directly what they want. So at 11:00, workshop one will be what employers want. At 11:45, there'll be top tips for a standout resume. So bring your resume, but if you don't have one, they can do one on the day there – the DESE staff and team will help. And then there’s different workshops at 12:30, 13:15, and at 2 o'clock. So I would recommend going for a minimum one hour and having a good look around. There’ll be free coffee there as well, transport available. So it's not to be missed, because we don't know when it will be back in Wagga Wagga.
SALLY BRYANT:
Yeah. Now, this is one of a number of these events happening across Australia at the moment. What is it that you're hoping to achieve with them?
LUKE HOWARTH:
What we're hoping to achieve is just continuing to push that unemployment rate down. Its 4.2 per cent nationally, we want to get it down to well under that. The youth unemployment rate has fallen to the lowest in 14 years. So really it's about people; we want people into work, and perhaps a different kind of work perhaps from what they've done before. And we're providing training as well, so people to be, you know, move from one industry to another. So really it's just about Australian people. As you said, we ran one in Albury-Wodonga last week. It's Wagga Wagga tomorrow, and then up into my state in Cairns and the Gold Coast next week. So you'll continue to see these run throughout the country. You know, I went to one recently in Alice Springs, and I met a younger woman there who’d had a criminal background, and she said, well, no one will employ me because I've been in, you know, been to- incarcerated. But right now, I could see that she really wanted to change her life. And she went along and had a lot of leads, and people were willing to give her a go. And I haven't actually found out whether she's got a job from it, but I spoke to her on the day, and she was very encouraged when she left. So what I'd say to people listening is, you will have a positive experience tomorrow at the Australian Government's Jobs Fair, and I would just really encourage you to go. We want to help you; we want to help you find work.
SALLY BRYANT:
The other thing to consider in all of this, of course, is this is not just about the economics of the situation, this is not just about getting the job done or about giving people income, because most people, their workplace, it's a huge part of their social interaction, isn't it?
LUKE HOWARTH:
Absolutely. We know that we spend, you know, if you're up to 38 hours a week or more at work, and you develop really good friendships sometimes with people at work or colleagues. And life is certainly about relationships. And most jobs, Sally, are found through networking. So if you haven't been in the workforce, or you're not involved with other activities in the community, it's difficult to find work. And so perhaps you're involved in a sporting club or at your kid’s school, or a local volunteer in the community, often you'll find jobs through talking to people in those circumstances. But yes, work does provide a real purpose. You can, obviously - you can get a lot done and achieve lots of goals, as well as being paid. And so the social interaction, as you rightly say, with other people is so important to everyone's mental health.
SALLY BRYANT:
Absolutely, particularly as we come out of the pandemic. Assistant Minister, thanks so much for talking to me this morning. Luke Howarth is the Assistant Minister for Youth and Employment Services, talking about the jobs fair taking place in Wagga Wagga tomorrow.