Multiplex awarded ARC grant to study impact of collaborative social procurement model on youth unemployment
01 June 2018
Multiplex:
Youth unemployment and underemployment costs
Australia more than $11 billion per year, while ironically skills
shortages are an increasingly urgent problem for Australia’s largest
youth employer, the construction industry.
Minister for Education and Training, Senator the Hon. Simon Birmingham,
announced last week that Multiplex has been awarded a highly prestigious
Australian Research Council Grant of $251,000 by the Australian Research
Council to study how a unique collaborative approach to
social
procurement being implemented on the
Westmead Hospital Redevelopment can
help solve Australia’s youth unemployment problem. Combined with
university and industry cash and in-kind contributions, the grant
amounts to over $800,000.
As one of only ten grants to be awarded across the country, the grant is
designed to help universities, businesses and community organisations
collaborate to develop innovative approaches to ‘real world’ industry
and community challenges in practical settings.
Using Multiplex Connectivity Centres as an internationally recognised
exemplar of collaborative social procurement in action, the research
brings together a team of internationally recognised researchers from
UNSW, Swinburne University, Southern Cross University and La Trobe
University, with a uniquely qualified team of leading partner
organisations from the construction industry, not-for-profit sector and
government sector (Multiplex, Heyday Group, yourtown and the Blacktown
City Council).
The research will address a critical gap in knowledge, internationally
and nationally, around the potential role of collaborative social
procurement in reducing youth unemployment – generating new theoretical
and practical insights which could be used to leverage Australia’s
unprecedented infrastructure and construction pipeline to help address
Australia’s youth unemployment problem.
The Westmead Connectivity Centre co-ordinates job opportunities and acts
as a hub for collaboration between a broad range of western
Sydney service providers.
Multiplex Regional Managing Director David Ghannoum said the
Connectivity Centre is a a whole-of community response to the specific
needs of western Sydney.
“We know unemployment is a major issue for local people, and access to
quality candidates can also be a challenge for
job providers. The
Connectivity Centre is a free service that aims to
bridge that gap.
“This is a place where local employers, government agencies, training
firms and community groups can come together to create some real,
long-term solutions for people disadvantaged through unemployment in
this community.”
--ENDS--
Source: Multiplex - www.multiplex.global
Contact: N/A
External Links: http://www.arc.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/stronger-research-partnerships-innovations
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