Coffey Creates New Opportunities For Indigenous Young People

Coffey, a Tetra Tech Company and a leading Australian development consulting firm, recently partnered with AFL SportsReady to take on an Indigenous trainee to support employment opportunities and career pathways for youth in the international development sector.

“Coffey, through our work in development, is dedicated to supporting thriving people and communities across the Asia Pacific, including Australia. AFL SportsReady’s approach to supporting employment opportunities for Indigenous youth aligns with our vision of providing opportunities for all Australians,” said Joanne Burns, Human Resources Manager at Coffey.

“We made a commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through our Reconciliation Action Plan to promote a diverse and respectful workplace and to provide employment opportunities for our first nations people in our organisation and the wider community,” she added.

Coffey, with more than 40 years’ experience in over 80 countries, designs, delivers, evaluates and transforms development programs on behalf of governments, multi-lateral organisations and the private sector. Coffey’s work aims to make a positive impact – for people, communities and the planet, through intelligent and co-created solutions across the development sphere.

“We work with  individuals, communities, business and governments across the globe to provide intelligent solutions to development challenges and we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to support our Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities at home too.”

Clyde Rigney Jr,  a proud Ngarrindjeri man and former Indigenous trainee, is Coffey’s  Director of Indigenous Consulting and has a personal understanding of the benefits of the AFL SportsReady traineeship program.

“I have been aware of and been involved with AFL SportsReady for a number of years and I know how important an opportunity like this is for a young person.”

“Since my traineeship at Murray Lands Training & Employment many years ago I have continued my work in the Indigenous community, in areas such as employment and training, health, youth, regional development, and government engagement and have worked as CEO for Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority and Director of Namawi Consulting,” said Mr Rigney.

“Together with AFL SportsReady, we want to promote a real shift in Indigenous employment and deliver positive outcomes for our young people,” he added.

Coffey will be taking on an Indigenous young person to work with Coffey’s Human Resources team while they study a Certificate III in Business. Importantly, the trainee will work across the organisation and assist the team in delivering recruitment services and providing administrative support.

Coffey’s Managing Director, Amy Gildea, says, “The trainee will be able to explore many facets of our business and develop their skills further in projects that are of interest to them”.

“We want them to absorb as much as they can during their traineeship, build their confidence and to learn new skills. We want to give them everything they need to be career ready.

“Coffey is a purpose-led organisation—we’re committed to shaping a world where our people, our communities and our planet can thrive—and we want to work with the trainee to find out their purpose too, so we can help them achieve their career goals,” she added.

AFL SportsReady assigns a Field Officer and Mentor to each trainee so they are supported through their traineeship journey. Joanne Burns from Coffey agrees a support system is imperative for young people in the workforce.

 “We want them to feel supported not only through their traineeship but also in the office and so they will work within a ‘buddy’ system here at Coffey. We want to give our trainee flexibility as we understand juggling their studies and full-time work can be challenging.” said Ms Burns.

“We’re excited about working with AFL SportsReady so we can provide better employment opportunities for our Indigenous young people and we can’t wait to learn from our trainee, just as we hope they will learn from us.”

To find out more about Coffey’s work visit our website here.

To check out our latest job opportunities visit our JOBS BOARD here.

DATE: 22nd of October 2019

AUTHOR: Marissa Pagliarello

IMAGE: Clyde Rigney Jr and Amy Gildea