NORTH Link’s Real Jobs, Right Now program continues to assist the fast-growing caravan manufacturing and service industry to fill permanent vacancies while providing employment opportunities for local jobseekers.
Fifteen participants were selected into the fourth intake of the Caravan Jobs Program, which is being delivered by NORTH Link and Caravan Industry Victoria along with training partners, Skillinvest and Juno Institute and also Social Ventures Australia who work with us to review the outcomes of the program. The program is funded by Jobs Victoria.
There is a high demand for workers in the caravan industry and this program is assisting those who are finding it most difficult to find work to undergo specific training to be job ready with the aim of gaining full-time work in the industry leading to a long and rewarding career.
Participants receive two weeks of paid pre-employment training, including work preparation with Juno Consulting and one week of paid vocational training
covering Recreational Vehicle Manufacture, including work safety with Skillinvest.
The participants are then partnered with a caravan manufacturing business located in Melbourne’s northern suburbs for three days per week for two weeks to gain insight into the various roles that are on offer in the industry. The participants also gain access to an experienced ‘buddy’ to work with during this period. Participants are paid from day one of their work preparation.
The program commenced in August 2021 and will finish in March 2023. The aim is to train in excess of 180 participants and gainfully employ 150 in areas ranging from assembly, detailing, quality control and administration. Support and mentoring is also provided during training, work placement and employment.
People including those seeking asylum and refugees, people over 45, youth under 25, veterans, people who are long term unemployed or at risk of long-term unemployment, females and those re-entering the workforce are invited to apply for the next intake which commences on 14th March.
From those that have successfully completed the program the feedback has been extremely positive and now that training is in person you can also see strong friendships forming amongst the participants. The entire program offers support from start to finish.
While we are helping the caravan industry to attract additional workers, our aim is to benefit those who may have encountered barriers to work in the past – seeing people get back to work is really rewarding.
To find out more, contact Sue Logan on s.logan@latrobe.edu.au
