The Holy Trinity Church and its associate, The Trinity Op Shop which raise funds to restore the old heritage buildings in Mackay are now receiving a fresh makeover to their extensive gardens, following the successful introduction of the Work for the Dole (WFD) program.
Under the guidance of a parish member who is a retired tradesman, they are also helping to paint areas in the building. The job seekers are enjoying learning new skills and being welcomed into a happy and busy volunteer workforce.
As the WFD Coordinator for the Mackay Employment Region, this is just one of a number of projects currently being organised by the BUSY At Work team.
The WFD program is an initiative of the Australian Government and administered by the Department of Employment.
BUSY At Work, (WFD) Administration Support Officer, Debbie Hildebrand said the church was keen to be involved in the Work for the Dole program.
“The Holy Trinity Anglican Church is a very small church and required maintenance to the building and improvements to the gardens. With insufficient funds and limited volunteers they were unable to carry out the necessary improvements. Through the Work for the Dole program we have been able to provide them with three job seekers,” Ms Hildebrand said.
A spokesperson for the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Olive Tait said the church was extremely grateful for the work done so far.
“As a very small institution with a lot of older members we have not been able to maintain the building and gardens to the standard we would like. To have help with the large gardens and with the maintenance jobs has been wonderful.”
“We are very happy to be part of this program and looking forward to see the building and gardens being taken care of for the next six months, Ms Tait said.
Ms Hildebrand said BUSY was keen to see more organisations like the Holy Trinity Anglican Church become host organisations for the WfD program.
“We are actively encouraging not-for-profit organisations and local, state and Commonwealth Government agencies to become potential hosts for projects.”
“These projects are about giving job seekers work-like skills which will potentially help them find a job and make a positive contribution to the local Mackay community.”
“Projects can involve job seekers in activities such as gardening, maintenance works, retail work, rehabilitation of public parks, office administration or warehouse roles,” Ms Hildebrand said.
Debbie said it was important that host employers be able to provide suitable day to day tasks for job seekers to complete.
Job seekers participating in the WFD program would also be provided with any inductions, on-the-job-training and supervision to ensure all work, health and safety requirements were met.
BUSY At Work CEO, Paul Miles said BUSY At Work was pleased that the Work for the Dole program was making a difference in the Mackay region.
“We are pleased to have the Work for the Dole Coordinator’s program in the Mackay Employment Region and are keen to work with more local organisations to improve employment outcomes for local job seekers. These programs can provide real life work skills and enhance the local community,” Mr Miles said.
If your organisation would like to offer a Work for the Dole placement you can contact BUSY At Work’s, Work for the Dole Coordinator to discuss the opportunity. To find out more call BUSY At Work 13 BUSY (13 28 79).
MEDIA CONTACT: Leanne Macnamara, Public Relations Coordinator
0438 173 960 leanne.macnamara@busyatwork.com.au
