Our Commitment to Indigenous Employment
Introduction
BGC Contracting is committed to increasing opportunities for Indigenous Australians to work with us, either through direct employment or with our subcontractors and other stakeholders.
Indigenous employment is an important way to support the aspirations of Indigenous communities in our areas of operation, and to respect their goals for participation in our projects.
BGC Contracting understands that Indigenous people are under-represented in both our workforce and in the wider Australian workforce. Accessing the skills and capabilities of Indigenous people and their communities is a key step towards developing local, regionally-based workforces, and to sustaining the future growth and expansion of our business.
Our leadership team is committed to building on our past successes, to making appropriate changes, and to establishing processes in order to deliver sustained results. We will work with individuals, Indigenous communities and businesses to maximise opportunities for Indigenous people at BGC Contracting.
Principles
BGC Contracting acknowledges the diversity of Indigenous people in Australia. We strive to appreciate the needs of Indigenous individuals and communities and to respect their relationship to traditional lands. Our approach to Indigenous Employment is based on the following principles:
- Mentoring and workplace coaching, contributing to successful long term employment.
- Appropriate communication and respect at all levels within our organisation.
- Flexibility to enable Indigenous Australians to meet cultural and family obligations.
BGC Contracting acknowledges that many Indigenous communities may face the effects of socio-economic disadvantage. We aim to support individuals to overcome barriers to employment.
Implementation
- Build relationships with local Indigenous leaders and community organisations to identify and support Indigenous employees from our project areas.
- Offer recruitment processes that assist Indigenous people to
gain employment. This might include;
- Assistance to complete the application and assessment stages, and
- Accessing work readiness training, if required.
- Traineeships and apprenticeships, and
- Funding and/or sponsorship.
- Plan for the retention of Indigenous employees on each project by putting supportive relationships in place.
- Provide Indigenous employees with appropriate feedback on their achievements.
- Promote opportunities for training and career development.
- Ensure that opportunities for continued employment are investigated upon project completion.
- Develop cooperative relationships with our major clients in order to adequately collaborate, plan, set mutual goals and allocate resources for the delivery of Indigenous employment outcomes.
- Continue to build the capacity of our Managers and Supervisors, through cultural awareness training, strategic planning, and corporate support, to deliver this commitment and assist sub-contractors to do the same.