- Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade
Social Enterprises are receiving a leg up through the Andrews Labor Government’s Boost Your Business voucher program.
The fourth round of the voucher program is providing a boost to more than 90 small to medium enterprises, including a number of social enterprises that help to provide opportunities for all Victorians.
Leading social enterprise Good Cycles in North Melbourne is one of the recipients to receive a voucher through the initiative.
Good Cycles is a not-for-profit organisation tackling social and environmental issues two wheels at a time.
Good Cycles provides young people facing barriers to employment with training and job opportunities to connect them to the economic and social benefits of work, and improve their future career prospects.
The organisation is using its Boost Your Business voucher to launch an Australian-first social enterprise which links employment with sustainability while also using the support to access new markets and expand social procurement opportunities.
This is just one example of how the Labor Government’s Social Enterprise Strategy and Social Procurement Framework are producing positive outcomes that benefit the community.
In round four of Boost Your Business, the streams for voucher support were Advanced Victorian Manufacturing, Asia Gateway, Defence, Aerospace, Cyber and Security, Food Innovation, Social Enterprise Capability and Victoria-Israel Innovation.
Funding of more than $2.7 million has been offered through the latest round of vouchers, with the first three rounds of Boost Your Business providing more than $7.8 million in grant funding to Victorian businesses.
For the full list of voucher recipients, visit business.vic.gov.au/boost-your-business.
As noted by Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade Martin Pakula
“This program has allowed more than 400 Victorian enterprises to develop and provide opportunities that can change people’s lives.”
“We know it can be difficult to find work and keep it, but through our social enterprise initiatives we’re unlocking doors for job seekers.”
As noted by Good Cycles chief executive Jaison Hoernel
“Our initiatives provide training and employment opportunities to hundreds of people.”
“Support through the Boost Your Business program is allowing us to provide more work opportunities for those facing barriers to employment.”
