Getting the Hunter’s job seekers skilled and back to work is the highest priority for Karla Notman, the newly appointed Hunter Employment Facilitator for the region.
Karla is one of 25 Australian Government appointed employment facilitators supporting the delivery of its $62.8 million Local Jobs Program across Australia.
Facilitators work on-the-ground to support employers and job seekers to connect with employment and training opportunities, with a Local Recovery Fund of $780,000 available in the Hunter to support projects in line with the program.
“As the nation recovers from COVID-19, our focus will be on helping re-deploy displaced workers, building skills for the Hunter region’s growth, and getting disadvantaged groups of people working,” Karla said.
She will also Chair a new Hunter Local Jobs and Skills Taskforce.
“An important issue is addressing our region’s high unemployment rates in specific groups such as Indigenous people and young people,” she said.
She said the Hunter region has unique challenges including high youth unemployment.
“Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the youth unemployment rate is 18 per cent in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and 14 per cent in the Hunter Valley.”
“A Hunter Indigenous person of working age is more than twice as likely to be unemployed than a non-indigenous person.”
Karla is delivering the program through the Hunter business coaching and training firm, The Finer Line. She is working with and being supported by the firm’s Founder and Director, Cheryl Royle.
Cheryl is also the Australian Government’s appointed Entrepreneurship Facilitator in the Hunter.
“Helping people to start their own businesses is another way to help get people back to work and the economy growing,” Cheryl said.
The Hunter Local Jobs and Skills Taskforce consists of:
- Karla Notman (Chair), Hunter Employment Facilitator
- Liana Nadalin, Training Services NSW
- Evan Steverson, Regional NSW
- David Broughton, Salvation Army Employment Plus
- Tim Owen, Hunter Defence
- Viv Allanson, Maroba
- Mikhaila Halford, Ampcontrol
- Mikaella Latimore, Life Without Barriers
- Amy De Lore, Hunter Business Chamber
- Simon Massey, City of Newcastle, supported by Hunter Joint Organisation.
IMAGE | Co-Founder and Director of The Finer Line, Cheryl Royle and Hunter Employment Facilitator, Karla Notman (left-right).
