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Fair and inclusive employment – supplier fact sheet

Learn about fair and inclusive employment.

The Victorian Government has established Victoria’s Social Procurement Framework. The Framework applies to all goods, services and construction procurement by the Victorian Government. Many of the Framework’s objectives relate to fair and inclusive employment.

Fair and inclusive employment

Fair and inclusive employment is when suppliers:

  • provide jobs for priority jobseekers
  • follow workplace laws
  • provide a safe workplace

Suppliers can access support to put in place:

  • recruitment processes
  • pre-employment support and training
  • on the job support

Paid work builds confidence and self-esteem. It also:

  • improves stability
  • helps independent living
  • provides a sense of belonging

Suppliers who offer fair and inclusive job opportunities create diverse workplaces. Diverse workforces bring valuable experience and viewpoints to a business.

The role of the private sector

The private sector plays an important role. It provides most of Victoria’s jobs, including for disadvantaged Victorians. The private sector is key to efforts to advance fair and inclusive employment.

The Social Procurement Framework looks to suppliers to advance fair and inclusive employment by:

  • providing training and employment opportunities for priority Victorian jobseekers
  • advancing gender equality
  • supporting regional economies and communities which experience entrenched disadvantage

Gender equality includes:

  • more opportunities for women in non-traditional or leadership roles
  • more support for at-risk women

Under the Social Procurement Framework, priority jobseekers include:

  • Aboriginal Victorians
  • Victorians with disability
  • women
  • long-term unemployed people
  • disengaged youth
  • single parents
  • migrants
  • refugees and asylum seekers
  • workers in transition
  • people in regions with entrenched disadvantage

For more details on these target groups, refer to About social procurement.

Bidding for government work

In their bids, suppliers must show an ability to perform the works or services under tender. Their offer must meet the evaluation criteria.

Bid responses must address the evaluation criteria. The criteria might include an extra weighted percentage for social and sustainable outcomes. An example of this would be fair and inclusive employment.

If the evaluation criteria have a focus on fair and inclusive employment outcomes, suppliers should provide information about:

  • policies, strategies and business practices that support workplace diversity
  • achievements that show a supplier’s fair and inclusive employment commitments
  • results from a completed fair and inclusive employment self-assessment
  • planned or established partnerships that support fair and inclusive employment

Partnerships can be with social benefit suppliers or training and job services.

Suppliers can also show how they will support partners or subcontractors that contribute to fair and inclusive employment targets. For example, helping them with reporting. This is especially important for larger projects.

More information is available at Support for Suppliers page.

Fair and inclusive employment as part of contracts

Suppliers who have successfully bid for government work must meet the conditions of their contract with an Agency. Where they need to deliver fair and inclusive employment, the contract might include:

  • clauses and performance targets, such as job quotas for disadvantaged Victorians
  • the need to develop and report on a fair and inclusive employment plan, and
  • reporting requirements to track performance against fair and inclusive employment targets

Suppliers need to have systems and processes to collect, measure and report data.

Fair and inclusive employment ready

When preparing their fair and inclusive employment plan, suppliers should consider if they:

  • understand the Social Procurement Framework and its inclusive jobs aims
  • have fair and inclusive employment policies and practices in place
  • have partnerships with job-readiness and job support services
  • provide chances for priority Victorian jobseekers to get and keep a job
  • have trained staff to support new staff in the workplace

Fair and inclusive employment support for suppliers

Support services are available to help suppliers. Services include recruitment, pre-employment support and training, and on-the-job support. Services are listed below:

Jobs Victoria

Jobs VictoriaExternal Link gives suppliers tailored support to connect them to job seekers.

It helps job seekers with mentoring, training and development to find work. It helps suppliers with the skills to access, choose and support candidates.

jobactive

jobactiveExternal Link connects job seekers with employers. It works with suppliers to tailor recruitment services to their needs.

Aboriginal recruitment companies

Several Aboriginal recruitment companies operate in Victoria. These companies can help suppliers create job opportunities for Victorian Aboriginal people.

They include:

Goal Indigenous ServicesExternal Link
Phone: (03) 8842 1666
Email: info@goalis.com.au

Indigenous Employment PartnersExternal Link
Phone: 0400 587 348

Career SteerExternal Link
Phone: 1300 313 333

Nerdu Badji EducationExternal Link
Phone: 0497 078 475

WamarraExternal Link
Phone: (03) 9391 8800

Wan-Yaari Aboriginal Consultancy ServicesExternal Link
Phone: 0431 117 088

Girraway Ganyi ConsultancyExternal Link
Phone: 0409 926 689

Aldara YenaraExternal Link

A2B Walker GroupExternal Link

WanPlaceExternal Link
Phone: 0422 422 203

Zancott RecruitmentExternal Link
1300 ZANCOTT

First People Recruitment SolutionsExternal Link
Phone: (02) 6230 7666

Victorian Registration Qualifications Authority

The Victorian Registration Qualifications Authority website provides details of recognised group training organisationsExternal Link . It lists organisations that can help place and train Aboriginal apprentices and trainees.

Vocational Training and Employment Centres

These CentresExternal Link deliver jobs for Aboriginal job seekers and school leavers across Australia. This includes Victoria.

The Centres work with suppliers to find job opportunities. They also help them work out their training needs.

JobAccess

JobAccessExternal Link is the national hub for workplace and job information for:

  • people with disability
  • employers
  • service providers

It brings together the information and resources that can drive disability employment.

The JobAccess website includes support for employers to employ people with disabilityExternal Link .

National Disability Recruitment Coordinator

The Australian Government funds the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator. It helps larger employers access the skills and talents of people with disability.

It also helps with workplace policies and practices that include people with disability.

It provides:

It also connects employers to the national network of Disability Employment Services.

Disability Employment Services

Disability Employment Services provide job help to people with disability, injury or health conditions. It helps them find work in the open labour market.

It can help employers to employ and retain workers with disability. It also provides access to financial incentives and support.

Australian Network on Disability

The Australian Network on DisabilityExternal Link promotes including people with disability in business. It is not-for-profit. Its members are Australian businesses, Victorian Government Agencies and community-based organisations.

Joining Australian Network on Disability can help connect organisations with like-minded colleagues. It can also support them to develop inclusive business practices.

Apprenticeships, traineeships and cadetships

Local Jobs First–Major Projects Skills GuaranteeExternal Link — provides information and resources for arranging:

  • apprenticeships
  • traineeships
  • cadetships

GROW

GROW helps suppliers plan long-term for social procurement and inclusive jobs. GROW has offices in these 5 regional areas:

Workplace Gender Equality Agency

Workplace Gender Equality AgencyExternal Link — helps businesses with gender equitable employment.

Support

For more information about social procurement, contact the Social Procurement team.

Reviewed 13 April 2021

Buying for Victoria

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