Twenty new staff members have started with Ararat Rural City Council in the past three weeks under the State Government’s Working for Victoria fund, which aims to help the unemployed get back to work.
CEO Dr Tim Harrison said Council has received support to employ people for 20 full-time equivalent positions under Working for Victoria, which include both full-time and part-time opportunities.
The $500 million fund aims to match unemployed people with employers who need staff to get through the Coronavirus pandemic and the recovery phase.
Dr Harrison said it was fantastic to have the new staff members – who are all locals – working for their community.
“Working for Victoria provides jobs for unemployed people, whether they have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic or have been without work for longer,” he said.
“Our new staff members will help us get through the recovery phase and will no doubt prove to be valuable contributors to the Ararat Rural City community.”
So far Council has employed five Community Support Officers working in a range of areas including rates, the Ararat Relief Centre, Home and Community Care and the Ararat Fitness Centre.
Council has also employed:
- Two Plant Operators who have joined the Infrastructure Team;
- Eleven Council Amenity Assistants who are working in a range of areas including cleaning and sanitising playgrounds and street furniture, working within the Parks and Gardens Team and Bridge Gang;
- An Economic and Social Recovery Officer;
- A Planning Officer.
Dr Harrison said more than 6,700 Victorians have found positions through Working for Victoria since the program was launched, providing a quick return to work and access to training.
“We know there are a lot of people doing it tough in our municipality after losing their jobs due to the pandemic, but these roles were open to any unemployed person,” he said.
“This is one way the Council can help get our residents back on their feet while keeping our community safe and working through the social and economic recovery phase.”
The State Government has struck agreements with an initial 28 councils across Victoria to support more than 2,300 people into jobs that include land and asset management, community outreach, hardship relief delivery and crisis co-ordination.
Under the fund, people have been employed and trained to perform tasks such as deep-cleaning public assets such as drinking fountains and disinfecting surfaces such as handrails, street furniture, playgrounds, traffic signal boxes and mailboxes.
Photo above (left to right): Zac Weeks, Jack Dowling, Jack Ferguson and Priscilla Didomenico have started work at Ararat Rural City Council under the State Government’s Working for Victoria program.
