Investing in development is key to closing the employment gap between ethnic groups
Barayamal means ‘Black Swan’ in Kamilaroi language. It's also the name of an organisation that’s launching a mentoring platform to help close the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The Indigenous unemployment rate is currently 21%, an increase of 4.3% since 2008. It is also four times the current non-Indigenous unemployment rate of 5%, according to the latest government employment study.
Moreover, Deloitte Access Economics estimates that increasing economic participation of Indigenous Australians to parity levels could result in an Australian economy that is up to 1.15% larger in 2031, a gain of $24 billion in 2012-13 terms.
What can be done to correct the imbalance?
eMentoring is an online mentoring platform supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals by connecting them with industry experts.
Consequently, they receive valuable mentoring with the goal of helping them progress in their careers and break the poverty cycle.
Barayamal founder, Dean Foley, said that by empowering and supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals this could help improve these statistics.
He added that the younger generation have a lot more opportunities compared to their parents and grandparents.
“There is now a lot of highly educated and skilled Indigenous Australians who are young but extremely motivated to achieve their self-determination aspirations and be in a position to help their community, but they need a bit of mentoring support to overcome challenges along the way,” said Foley.
The eMentoring platform also has the capacity to facilitate hundreds of mentoring relationships nationwide, and the software matching engine presents mentees with a list of mentors that are matched based on their search criteria.
“Despite some Australians still having racial stereotypes or negative perceptions towards Indigenous Australians, the majority of Australians genuinely want to help and now they have a platform to join and make a real difference,” said Foley.
Barayamal has access to some of the most successful Indigenous and non-Indigenous entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders who are mentors, which includes the following:
Trent Young, Founder of Young Guns which employs more than 300 people and generates tens of millions in revenue.
Mikaela Jade, Managing Director of Indigital which has the signature app, Indigital Storytelling that uses drones, 4D mapping software, image recognition technology and cultural law to bring the world's cultural sites alive through augmented reality.
Dwayne Good, Executive Director of In Travel Group, Australia’s only Indigenous Corporate Travel Management business with over 40 clients across the country from the NGO, government and private sectors.
Lynda Ryle, President of the Indigenous Lawyers Association Queensland.
Brent Watts, Director of Ventures and Investments at QUT bluebox.
The platform officially launches on Wednesday 27th in Brisbane, but already has 50 registered mentors who want to help.
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The Indigenous unemployment rate is currently 21%, an increase of 4.3% since 2008. It is also four times the current non-Indigenous unemployment rate of 5%, according to the latest government employment study.
Moreover, Deloitte Access Economics estimates that increasing economic participation of Indigenous Australians to parity levels could result in an Australian economy that is up to 1.15% larger in 2031, a gain of $24 billion in 2012-13 terms.
What can be done to correct the imbalance?
eMentoring is an online mentoring platform supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals by connecting them with industry experts.
Consequently, they receive valuable mentoring with the goal of helping them progress in their careers and break the poverty cycle.
Barayamal founder, Dean Foley, said that by empowering and supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and professionals this could help improve these statistics.
He added that the younger generation have a lot more opportunities compared to their parents and grandparents.
“There is now a lot of highly educated and skilled Indigenous Australians who are young but extremely motivated to achieve their self-determination aspirations and be in a position to help their community, but they need a bit of mentoring support to overcome challenges along the way,” said Foley.
The eMentoring platform also has the capacity to facilitate hundreds of mentoring relationships nationwide, and the software matching engine presents mentees with a list of mentors that are matched based on their search criteria.
“Despite some Australians still having racial stereotypes or negative perceptions towards Indigenous Australians, the majority of Australians genuinely want to help and now they have a platform to join and make a real difference,” said Foley.
Barayamal has access to some of the most successful Indigenous and non-Indigenous entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders who are mentors, which includes the following:
Trent Young, Founder of Young Guns which employs more than 300 people and generates tens of millions in revenue.
Mikaela Jade, Managing Director of Indigital which has the signature app, Indigital Storytelling that uses drones, 4D mapping software, image recognition technology and cultural law to bring the world's cultural sites alive through augmented reality.
Dwayne Good, Executive Director of In Travel Group, Australia’s only Indigenous Corporate Travel Management business with over 40 clients across the country from the NGO, government and private sectors.
Lynda Ryle, President of the Indigenous Lawyers Association Queensland.
Brent Watts, Director of Ventures and Investments at QUT bluebox.
The platform officially launches on Wednesday 27th in Brisbane, but already has 50 registered mentors who want to help.
Related stories:
L&D program helps ex-offenders in the workplace
'Effective leadership teams will always want a view of their entire workforce'
Poor leadership is #1 motivator for leaving a job