After the successful implementation of a new in-house casual and temporary employment program (TEMPO Pool), Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) is calling for expressions of interest for a second round.
TRC Finance and Business Strategy Portfolio Leader Cr Kerry Shine said the program had helped address staffing shortages in the organisation.
“Attracting new staff has been a challenge for the past year or so and this is a problem we are seeing across most industries at the moment,” Cr Shine said.
“With so much competition for workers it’s important we look at innovative programs like the TEMPO Pool to assist our workforce.
“This is a program that provides an opportunity for local job seekers to get a foot in the door. TEMPO isn’t designed to train people from scratch. Applicants should have some background in the relevant area and a positive attitude is a must.
“Participants who successfully complete the training and demonstrate high performance throughout the program may have the opportunity to join Council’s pool of casual and temporary employees.
“We particularly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability, migrants, mature age jobseekers, school leavers, people re-entering the workforce after a lengthy absence and veterans to apply.
“We launched this program last year and had 77 candidates express an interest in participating in the program.
“We then provided training to develop and upgrade their skills and from the candidates who came on board 90% of the available indoor pool were placed in the first few weeks with 100% of the outdoor pool placed which is a great result.
“Feedback from the work areas where we’ve used TEMPO services has been overwhelmingly positive of the initiative which is why we’ve decided to open the program up for a second round.”
