'It’s easier to be a policeman than an unlocker of dreams': successful employment strategies in a deeply excluded area
Julia Perry and Frances Jamieson
Contact Email: Julia.perry
bigpond.com
Recent employment policy was ‘work-first’, enforced through harsh penalties for non-compliance. Case management, vocational planning, skills development and staged re-entry to work was rationed to certain categories of Job Network clients with emphasis on the individual rather linked with community development. The Rudd Government is looking for more holistic approaches in areas of social exclusion.
Established in 2006, the Local Enterprise Centre (LEC) in Airds, a Sydney public housing suburb, successfully promoted social engagement, skills development, employment and self employment. In a suburb with no employment growth over the previous 4 years, employment increased by 20 per cent in two years and an impressive number of residents established themselves in self-employment. The LEC also provides a hub for community development activities, services and referrals addressing other personal and family needs, training and skills development in IT and other areas, a community run library, a community garden, and arts and crafts. The LEC used a socially inclusive, participative approach to decision-making, working with individuals and groups of residents to help them realise their aspirations in the economic, personal and community spheres. Housing NSW plans to replicate the LEC model in other areas. This paper reports on the LEC’s approach and outcomes.
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