Sydney Civil, an independent engineering firm specialising in government and infrastructure projects in Greater Sydney, announces today a continued commitment to reduce barriers to employment for Australia’s First Nations Peoples by expanding and targeting recruitment, employment and retention programs.
The most recent Closing the Gap report found that in 2018 the Indigenous employment rate was around 49 per cent compared to around 75 per cent for non-Indigenous Australians. It is no secret that a diverse workforce helps boost productivity and increase morale.
Sydney Civil’s Chief Executive Officer Adrian Mourad said “Sydney Civil has always welcomed staff from diverse backgrounds but today we have committed to recruit and hire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. We know many of our First Nations People are looking for stable, interesting and challenging work, and it’s clear Sydney Civil can provide that.
“As construction partners, we anticipate our team will learn from and seek to embed the First Nations knowledge that connects to our own understanding of community and influences our process.”
Sydney Civil recently partnered with Souths Cares. Souths Cares was established in 2006 as an independent, public benevolent institution. The Souths Cares charity has been built upon the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ long and proud history of supporting the community; in particular Aboriginal and/or Torres Islander people. Its charter is to support disadvantaged and marginalised youth and their families through the delivery of capacity-building programs addressing education, training, health and employment needs. Through the partnership, Souths Cares will assist the company in establishing both a work experience and traineeship program with pathways towards professional civil engineering qualifications, mentorship and employment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates. Sydney Civil will in turn be the exclusive sponsor of eight Souths Cares School Holiday Clinics each year. The company will also be exhibiting at the upcoming community-wide Souths Cares NAIDOC Festival on 5 July.
Souths Cares Chief Executive Officer Alisha Parker-Elrez noted the power of this partnership. “Sydney Civil can provide many of our participants now and in the future with valuable work experience and employment opportunities, building a stronger workforce and community. The pillars of Souths Cares community programs are education, employment, and health and wellbeing. Sydney Civil’s commitment to Souths Cares taps into all three.”
“This partnership is an important step for Sydney Civil as we expand our work towards advancing reconciliation and bringing diversity in thought and talent to our team. We’re proud to include these efforts as part of our First Nations employment strategy,” Mourad concluded.
More information about Sydney Civil’s support of First Nations Peoples can be found here.
