Blue Mountains News

Stuart Ayres said the NSW Business Chamber’s Skillsroad program, JobGetter, Home Care Heroes, Neighbourhood Jobs, Test Pilot and batyr were among 12 successful bidders for the NSW Government’s $10 million Youth Employment Innovation Challenge.

“The Challenge is unique among such programs in that we went to local communities to seek placed-based solutions to youth unemployment,” Stuart Ayres said.

“We reached out to communities including Penrith and the Blue Mountains to understand their problems. We then threw out the challenge for them to help come up with fresh, local solutions to get young people into work.

“Neighbourhood Jobs is a social enterprise which aims to tackle intergenerational unemployment and poverty by employing and training local young people to do neighbourhood jobs such as mowing, cleaning, green waste removal and maintenance of social housing and private premises.

“It will employ young people from the Penrith, Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Blacktown areas of Western Sydney who have grown up in social housing or experienced homelessness. Neighbourhood Jobs will then transition these young people into their second job with another employer.”

Stephen McIntyre of Wentworth Community Housing said we are really delighted to be granted the opportunity to run such a ground-breaking local program. Neighbourhood Jobs is on a mission to smash intergenerational dependence on social housing by investing in local young people, giving them the skills for a strong working future and independence.

Deputy Premier and Skills Minister John Barilaro said the NSW Government is committed to targeting youth unemployment with the support of the community.

“That’s why we’ve reached out to local communities, local businesses and innovators who understand local problems and are best placed to come up with fresh ideas to get young people into work or training.

“Having a job is one of the best ways to boost someone’s sense of self-worth and empowerment and it’s important that we create and support new ideas to help our young people get into work,” Mr Barilaro said.