Published: 13 December 2011

Employment partners: Australian Employment Covenant representative Leon Epong (left) presents Centacare Brisbane executive director Peter Selwood (right) with an employment covenant certificate. With them is Centacare Employment Group director Andrew O'Brien

Centacare Brisbane has joined forces with other industry sectors in closing the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by signing up as an Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) employer.

As a covenant signatory, Centacare is committed to 50 available jobs to Indigenous job seekers who meet the organisation's training requirements.

Centacare Brisbane executive director Peter Selwood was congratulated recently by AEC Queensland representative Leon Epong on joining a "movement for change to end Indigenous disparity".

AEC was launched in 2008 as a national industry incentive to break the cycles of Indigenous welfare dependency and poverty by placing 50,000 Indigenous people through job-specific training programs into employment.

"We believe that employment opportunities for Indigenous people have been limited in the past and to work with the covenant in this process is a very positive step for Centacare," Mr Selwood said.

"It's important for us if we are going to be involved with employment contracts that we are working with every centre of the community.

"We hope to be able to work in this partnership for many years into the future."

By June this year AEC's target of 50,000 signed for jobs had been reached with 4,500 converted into real jobs with retention around 75 per cent nationally.

Currently more than 300 industry sectors are committed to the creation of 55,000 jobs for Indigenous people.

Centacare's commitment of 50 jobs was considered significant by Mr Epong who said all organisations irrespective of size had a role to play in the AEC initiative.

The next phase of the AEC is to assist employers who have signed for jobs to link them with supply organisations that specialise in Indigenous training and employment retention.

Mr Epong said there was potential for Centacare Employment Group to assist other AEC partners with their training requirements.

The Australian Government, as a signatory to the Australian Employment Covenant, supports industry appropriate training for eligible job seekers; the job take-up process; and tracking and recording of AEC jobs.