Goodstart Early Learning is now included as one of the 43 Australian organisations in the National Indigenous Employment Index, that represent indigenous employment. It is the only early learning provider, which includes a comprehensive snapshot of Indigenous employment representation processes and experiences.
CEO Julia Davison and Goodstart First Nations Educator Chelsea Croucher attended the launch of the new index along with organisations from the banking, energy, transport, fast food, and the logistics sectors.
“I am very pleased that Goodstart has taken part in the first-ever snapshot on Indigenous Employment, it is only by carefully measuring our results and learning from others that we can ensure we are an inclusive and culturally safe organisation for First Nations employees, and the children and families they support in our centres,” Ms Davison said.
“Goodstart has a First Nations Employment Strategy plan and as part of the strategy, it tracks the employment, training, and retention of First Nations people right across our national network.”
“We can only meet our targets if we measure and understand the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and work to remove barriers to their employment and retention,” Ms Davison continued.
“We are working to ensure our Indigenous employees come to work each day in a culturally safe workplace which supports them as they work to support children, families, and their local communities.”
Goodstart’s participation in the employment of the first nation’s people encourages the early learning childhood sector to learn from the other organisations which are working to minimise the gap with the employment of the first nation people.
“At Goodstart reconciliation is woven through everything we do to support the 6.7 per cent of children attending Goodstart centres who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torre Strait Islander. They are supported by increasing numbers of First Nations educators and teachers and interns but there’s more to do,” Ms Davison added.
Indigenous Employment Index is aimed to provide an evidence base for “what works” in creating Indigenous employment parity in a sustainable and meaningful way. It was developed by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre in partnership with the Minderoo Foundation’s Generation One initiative and Murawin Consulting.
The inclusion of Goodstart learning into the Indigenous Employment Index is no doubt very encouraging for others in the sector to create and celebrate employment opportunities for the first nation people and to mitigate the employment gap.
References:
Australian Indigenous Employment Index 2022 National Report
Goodstart Early Learning is proud to be a part of the first National Indigenous Employment Index, Goodstart