I recently attended the Gold Coast Youth Employment Body (GCYEB) Attract and Grow your youth workforce event. Even as a long-time member of the GCYEB, and someone who has worked with young people and organisations supporting advantage thinking and positive employment opportunities, this event was an enlightening experience.
Here are my key takeaways:
The GCYEB is working hard to develop strategies and opportunities to embed ‘champion employers’ as the norm for businesses in our region. Tools like the Youth Opportunity Compass and the new GCYEB website will make supporting and employing young people easier.
Scott Millar from Bop Industries gave a charismatic presentation on the current landscape of the work world.
Scott highlighted the rapid changes in the IT industry, new ways of working and what the future will look like with today’s advancements, such as virtual reality and 3D platforms.
Coming from the generation that started my career still with an ‘octopus exchange’ needed to put a call through to the boss, there was some interesting conversations amongst the audience.
Scott then helped highlight how harnessing the talent and skills of Gen-Z and soon, Generation Alpha is crucial in today’s diverse workplace.
I took from this that being open to understanding the language and interests of this workforce and working to bridge the generational divide and embrace new ideas is what makes a champion employer.
Rachael Bowman was impressive in showing how Feros Care is doing this currently.
The need for fresh energy to address an aging workforce but growing industry on the Gold Coast.
Rachael and the team have been developing career pathways, opportunities and training to retain staff within their business and embed a culture of investment and growth in their people.
But the highlight was hearing from the panel of young people chaired by Steve Hackett. The panel was made up of young people and their senior managers in their organisations. They were honest about their experiences, both good and bad. This insightful conversation allowed us to hear the challenges that face young people when they start in a role. Hearing what good support looks like is so simple but effective, and likely to lead to a much more productive and fulfilling start with an employer, for both the young person and the employer/supervisor.
Overall, the event offered valuable insights into the evolving work environment and the importance of bridging generational gaps in communication and workforce integration.
If you haven’t already, reach out to the GCYEB team to see how you can get involved.
Katrina Casaclang
National Manager
Orygen Youth IPS Centre of Excellence
