Yilabara congratulates Rhiannon on being our 400th Aboriginal community member to secure a life changing job

We are excited to announce that Yilabara has now placed 400 Aboriginal community members into employment through its Indigenous Specialists Workforce Australia employment service contract. Yilabara commenced delivering Workforce Australia services to local Aboriginal communities across the Illawarra and South Coast just over 18 months ago.

Our 400th Aboriginal community member to be placed in work, Gadigal woman, Rhiannon Dominey, lives in Nowra. After taking a 12-month break from work to care for her three boys, she was referred to Yilabara by Centrelink with the aim of supporting her to return to the workforce.

When we asked her how it felt to learn she was the 400th Aboriginal community member to be placed into work by Yilabara, Rhiannon said, “When I got told, it was exciting. I usually go in competitions and don’t win, so being 400th it was amazing, I love it!”

With encouragement from her Aboriginal Employment Advisor, Rhiannon has just completed her fourth week in her new job as an Aged Care Worker.

“I’ve been supported amazingly. It’s been the best…they’ve been really great”, she said.

With the assistance of funding available through Workforce Australia, Yilabara has supported Rhiannon in several ways.

“They helped me get my NDIS check, work uniforms and just being there for me. They’ve supported me the whole way”, she said.

Aboriginal community members accessing Yilabara often form close connections with their Aboriginal Employment Advisor as they move through the journey from being unemployed to securing work.

“I usually see Bec, and she’s amazing. She’s always ringing me up once a week to see how I’m going, how’s work…and it’s good because when you’re a mum, kids don’t really ask about your day. When you’ve got someone ringing up asking about your day it makes you feel really good.”

We asked Rhiannon’s Aboriginal Employment Advisor, Bec, what the most important thing is for getting people into employment.

“Confidence building is everything…whether you’re in employment or pre-employment. You just need someone there to tell you it’s ok, you’re doing good.”

Getting people who haven’t genuinely thought about working for a long time is part of the role of the Employment Advisor.

We asked Rhiannon what she would say to other people thinking about getting into work, particularly those who find the prospect daunting.

“Give it a go, you’ll know whether you’re comfortable or not. But it’s not going to happen straight away, it’ll take a few weeks to actually get comfortable with the place…You learn something new every day”.

Rhiannon is enjoying her work in the aged care sector and said that the older people she works with “make her day”.

Securing employment allows our local Aboriginal job seekers to see beyond the everyday, and start thinking about their goals, like buying their own home as Rhiannon would like to do.

“We are so happy to see Rhiannon happily back in the workforce and we know that this opportunity means so much to her and her three boys. I’m sure Bec and the Yilabara team will be there every step of the way”, said Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Clarke.

As the only 100% Aboriginal owned and run Indigenous Specialist Workforce Australia provider in the country, Yilabara offers a unique service that is culturally safe.

“All our offices have local Aboriginal staff which means we understand the challenges faced by our local Aboriginal community members, their families and the broader community”, said Matthew Clarke.

“We feel honored to work alongside our communities to create opportunities into employment. We see the positive impact and our staff are 100% dedicated to supporting every community member who walks through our door”, he said.

Yilabara currently delivers their Indigenous Specialist Workforce Services across five sites: Wollongong, Dapto, Shellharbour, Nowra, and Batemans Bay.

Congratulations to Rhiannon, Yilabara’s 400th placement, and to all the Yilabara staff for their wonderful work each day.