Over the months, each GameChange Priority Action Group (PAG) (largely strangers to begin with) have formed a family of sorts, there’s trust, friendships and great ideas all coming to the fore because of this. They don’t do this for fame and glory, nor because they must – they’re all volunteers from within our community. Each person participating has a unique and much appreciated perspective on our region’s jobs and employment sector and most importantly, wants to do whatever they can to make it better. At a recent Targeted Training action group meeting, two members – David Murphy and Jayan Chacko, started talking.
David is the owner of TRJ Engineering and has worked in the Dandenong region for decades. When you hear him speak, you notice how much he values collaboration because whenever he has a good story to tell, it usually starts with ‘we’. Jayan is a Casey Jobs Victoria Advocate and assists local people to find the support they need on their pathway to employment. He works one-on-one with people looking for work and forms relationships with support services, government, and community members to make sure he is as well-informed and connected as he can be.
The recent GameChange Targeted Training meeting started with a little bit of general chat around the table about upskilling and finding people to fill skilled-worker roles. There were updates and participants started to consider ways they might address the issues. Members shared stories and just as the meeting was ending, Jayan mentioned that he knew a terrific person seeking work who was skilled and trained as a heavy truck driver…did anyone know of an available role? The jobseeker was homeless and had been unable to find work. Being a temporary resident, they were ineligible for Centrelink support or other government-funded employment assistance programs.
Off the cuff, David mentioned his own company, where he was struggling to find someone to fill the role of a heavy truck driver. That’s when it happened - Jayan immediately asked David if he was serious and David of course, said 'yes'. Could he send him to David for an interview? David was keen, he trusted Jayan and wanted to support a vulnerable community member. He understood that recruitment practices don’t need to be complicated and the interview was set up - within a short time, David had found someone to fill the role. What’s more, Jayan had helped someone to find a role they were trained for and experienced to do – a role they needed and were looking for.
Changing the local employment system for the better is what GameChange is trying to do - being guided by community and placing them at the centre of all activities. By its very nature, change can feel long and slow. However, by celebrating the ‘little wins’ - signposts of change, we can feel hope along the way, adapt to opportunities as they occur and hopefully, feel connected as a community to the change when we get there – making it so much more sustainable. In this case, the signpost of change is that by working together, community – all sectors and stakeholders, including those with lived experience, can form lasting, trusting relationships. These relationships will bring about small wins – such as the truck driver role and further along the line, real, positive change for all of us.
Be there too – join other members of your community in one of the priority action groups. You can start any time, groups meet monthly. For more information or to join a group, email your name to gamechange@cgd.vic.gov.au.
