According to the latest figures, youth unemployment levels in the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands are among the highest in the state, sitting at 28.9 per cent.
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The shocking figures are well above the national average of 12.2 per cent, and to bring this rate down, the NSW Government has committed funding to a project that aims to assist young job seekers in the region to secure employment.
The Learn.Seek.Match app, created by The Project Factory, aims to assist young job seekers, aged 15-24, in unemployment ‘hotspots’ to find jobs that best suit their skill set.
The Project Factory’s Kat Robinson said the app was hoping to spark a ‘social change’ to get more young women in particular involved in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) industries.
“The app can be used by both young men and women but we have made the app more female-centric because of the disparity we’ve noticed in the tech industry,” she said.
“When we offer internships or work experience 99 per cent of the applications come from young men, and we want to change that.”
Ms Robinson said the app was designed in line with issues young females in the Shoalhaven were encountering while job hunting.
“We came down to Nowra and talked to some youth providers and young women, and we really hope the app can address the issues they told us they were experiencing,” she said.
“We think youth unemployment [and the disparity between men and women in STEM] is a challenge we should all be rising to.”
The app works in three stages, being learn, seek, match.
During the ‘learn’ stage, young people can learn more about their own skills and which jobs would be applicable to their skill set. The ‘seek’ stage allows young people to further explore what a particular job entails.
“Seeking out a job is quite hard and so is actually understanding what the job entails, this will allow young people to understand what the job looks like day-to-day,” Ms Robinson said.
The ‘match’ stage will put young ladies in contact with other women who work in a particular industry, giving them a real-world example, which according to Ms Robinson, will build much-needed confidence in young women particularly.
Ms Robinson has called on the community to get involved with the app, to assist young women in finding the best job for them.
“If you are a person working in the STEM industry and can offer your time to a young lady for a 10-15 minute phone call that could really give her the confidence and the opportunity to apply for a role,” she said.
“We are calling this a ‘light-touch mentorship’ and you may really help a young lady on her career path.”
Ms Robinson also encouraged youth workers, schools, and parents to refer the app on to young people, which is due to launch in September.
The NSW Department of Industry partnered with the NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation to launch the Youth Employment Innovation Challenge, which has assisted in the funding of the project.
To learn more or register your interest visit https://www.learnseekmatch.com.au/.
Madeline Crittenden
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
Madeline Crittenden is a journalist for Fairfax Media at the South Coast Register.
