Jemena has joined forces with Saltbush Social Enterprises, part of the Karen Sheldon Group, to deliver an Indigenous workforce mentoring program, Pipeline to Success.
Managing director Frank Tudor said the program had been developed for disadvantaged Indigenous job seekers in the Barkly region in the Northern Territory.
The program is aimed at equipping participants with mentoring and leadership skills so they can support members of the community into part-time and full-time work.
“Through our Northern Gas Pipeline project, we saw many local people participate in learning and development opportunities which ultimately enabled them to contribute to the successful construction of the $800 million gas pipeline,” Tudor said.
“The Pipeline to Success initiative builds on this model and our hope is that through this program we will contribute to the broader economy of the Barkly region, while also identifying and mentoring a talent pool which is potentially capable of working on the Northern Gas Pipeline in the future.”
Becky Limerick of the Wakaya people has been named as the program’s inaugural mentor after she completed six months of training to learn about attendance, communication, team work and computer skills.
“Becky’s positive experience has paved the way for the program to expand and two more members of the local Indigenous community are now participating,” Tudor added.
Jemena stated that Saltbush Social Enterprise was selected to deliver the program due to the previous success of Karen Sheldon Training, which co-delivered Jemena’s gas operator training program for the Northern Gas Pipeline.