Indigenous Workforce Strategy accessible by public

5. Indigenous Workforce Strategy (IWFS) accessible by public

5.1 UNE IWFS 2013-2018

The University of New England Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy 2013 - 2018 is an endorsed document and is available to the public at: UNE IWFS 2013-2018. In developing and implementing this strategy, the University of New England has continued its commitment to making UNE a leader in the education and employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The focus of the strategy has been on strengthening relationships between UNE and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community; building meaningful career paths for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff; building understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and appropriate workforce management practices; and increasing meaningful employment options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

With this strategy due to expire at the end of the current ISSP reporting year a focus for UNE in 2018 has been the development of a new 5 Year Indigenous Workforce Strategy. This Strategy - The UNE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy 2019 – 2023 has received executive approval for implementation in 2019 and promotion material on the strategy is now in preparation.

5.2 UNE 2019-2023 IWFS - Support for development of current Indigenous Employees

The UNE 2019-2023 IWFS will support the development of current Indigenous Employees by:

  1. Promoting the UNE Professional Development fund to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and encouraging applications from Indigenous staff consistent with fund guidelines;
  2. Reviewing current options for study leave to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to participate in accredited study that takes in their ways of knowing;
  3. Encouraging and supporting the participation of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in UNE Leadership Programs aligned with their classification;
  4. Encouraging and supporting the participation of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Career Academics in continuing and fixed term positions in the University wide Early Career Academic Mentoring Program (ECAMP)

In addition, the UNE 2019-2023 IWFS will: develop an induction process for all new Indigenous employees that will include the allocation of a culturally appropriate buddy and/or mentor; develop flexible employment options for Indigenous professional and academic staff; and promote traineeship opportunities to faculties and directorates. Likewise, the Human Resources Directorate will work collaboratively with Faculties and Directorates to identify positions to be targeted for Indigenous people, and continue to provide opportunities for Aboriginal staff to be seconded into higher duties positions.

5.3 UNE 2019-2023 IWFS – Increasing employment opportunities for Indigenous people across UNE.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.3% of the total workforce at UNE in 2018 (see Table 22). Positive efforts to improve the employment opportunities for Indigenous people across UNE during the year included the following:

  1. The Oorala Aboriginal Centre converted two student engagement roles to ongoing positions; created an Indigenous student engagement assistant role for a fixed term of two years; and created a scholarship coordinator role for a fixed term period;
  2. An Aboriginal person was employed in a permanent non-identified position in the Human Resources Directorate;
  3. An Indigenous information Research Assistant was appointed to an ongoing position in Dixon Library;
  4. The Research Services Directorate employed two Indigenous Research Support Officers for a two year period;
  5. Five Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employees were seconded to a higher level in Student Success and Research Services.
  6. The Learning and Teaching Transformation Directorate employed an Indigenous Research Project Officer on a fixed term contract of 6 months.
  7. An Indigenous project officer and Indigenous project assistant were employed by the School of Rural Medicine to develop and run the HEPPP funded KRUKI Summer School for prospective Indigenous medical students. Both of these appointments were as short-term contracts.

The UNE 2019-2023 IWFS is framed to continue to grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce with to ensure that the following priority actions occur:

  1. That the UNE environment is culturally inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including art/artefacts and words;
  2. That UNE will identify a position for an Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander person in a senior executive role at the level of Pro Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor or equivalent by 2021;
  3. That UNE will develop an induction process for all new Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander employees;
  4. That UNE Investigates and identifies the opportunity for traineeships and apprenticeships within Faculties and Directorates; and
  5. That UNE Investigate options and develop a Graduate Recruitment program for Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander graduates for possible implementation in 2020 – 2021.
Table 22: UNE Indigenous Workforce Data (2018 breakdown) Indigenous workforce data (2018 breakdown)
Faculty/DirectorateLevel/positionPerm/>1yrPerm/>1yrCasual/<1yrCasual/<1yr
  AcademicNon-academicAcademicNon-academic
Oorala Aboriginal Centre (Oorala)Director  1   
OoralaAcademic A 1    
OoralaHEO7  2   
OoralaHEO6  1   1
OoralaHEO5  3   
OoralaHEO4  1   2
OoralaTTA   17*  
Student SuccessHEO4  3   
Student SuccessHEO5  1   
Facilities Management Services (FMS)HEO4  1   
FMSHEO2  2   
LibraryHEO3  1   
LibraryHEO4  1   
Faculty of Humanities Arts Social Science & Education (HASSE)Academic C 1    
Faculty of HASSEAcademic B 2    
Faculty of Science, Agriculture Business and LAW(SABL)Academic B 3   1  
Faculty of SABLHEO3A    1
Faculty of Medicine & Health (M&H)Academic B 1    
Faculty of M&HHEO4  1   
PVC (Academic Innovation)Project Director   1  
UNE LifeHEO4  1   
Information Technology Services (ITS)HEO5  1   
Information Technology Services (ITS)HEO6  1   
Resarch ServicesHEO5  1   
Human ResourcesHEO7  1   
Human ResourcesHEO5  1   
TOTAL 825194

*There were 17 tutors participating in the Targeted Tutorial Assistance Program at Oorala who identified as Indigenous in 2018. All tutors are employed by UNE on casual Academic contracts.

Source: UNE Human Resources Directorate.

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