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Career Avenue attracts heavy traffic in Alice Springs
For Regional Industry Career Adviser Jenny Mostran, it was an opportunity not to be missed: 7000 visitors and 66 business, industry and training representatives in one place over two days at the Central Australian Chamber of Commerce Expo in Alice Springs in March 2007.
Jenny’s idea was Career Avenue—a strip in the larger expo streetscape where career service providers could present a one-stop ‘shopping’ experience to businesses, schools, students and parents.
Career Advice Australia set up a shopfront staffed by the Jenny and Local Community Partnership and Youth Pathways teams from Alice Springs.
Neighbours who responded to Jenny’s invitation to set up on the avenue included Charles Darwin University, the Australian Apprenticeship Centre, the Department of Workplace Relations, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Education, Steps Employment, Centrelink and Centre Labour Force.
Strong networking led to real outcomes—since everyone came to know what everyone else does, young people can stay off the referral merry-go-round and find the education or training service they need more painlessly.
A program for Indigenous youth, for example, helped 10 young people in the month after the expo to find the right training or stay at school if their career preference pointed that way.
Speed networking
Day one of the expo was devoted to B2B (business-to-business) marketing through speed networking. Every exhibitor had one minute to promote their program to another business, which meant that all 66 exhibitors were exposed to Career Advice Australia’s programs.
Out of that one exercise and follow-up by Jenny, 12 new businesses signed on to take students on Structured Workplace Learning placements, and 15 new industry champions were recruited to take students on workplace tours or speak at their schools. The ripple effect continues to bring more on board.
A survey of business participants is yielding useful data to underpin marketing of Career Advice Australia programs into the future.
On day two, schools, teachers, students and parents got involved, again with positive outcomes.
Two junior schools—from a ‘market’ usually difficult for career practitioners to access—asked for help to set up industry tours. Two senior schools invited the Career Advice Australia team to add a careers dimension to their drama presentation during National Youth Week. And 10 career information packs were given to parents wanting help in advising children who wanted to leave school.
The Chamber of Commerce is so impressed with the ‘avenue’ concept that it is adopting it for use in other areas of its activity.
Contact:
Jenny Mostran
Ph: 08 8952 4377