Business News

Thu Oct 13

Call for Entrepreneurship Facilitators

Written by Brooke Vitnell

The Australian Government is calling for organisations and individuals to apply to be one of three new Encouraging Entrepreneurship Facilitators.

From December, Entrepreneurship Facilitators will operate in three priority regions experiencing high levels of youth unemployment—Cairns, the Hunter region (including Newcastle) and Launceston— to help young Australians start their own small business.

Minister for Employment, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said the pioneering initiative will provide practical support to young people who wanted to turn a business idea into a real-life, self-employment enterprise.

“Self-employment and entrepreneurship provide real opportunities for young people who are unemployed, but only a small number take up this option,” Minister Cash said.

Minister Cash said Entrepreneurship Facilitators in priority regions will help provide practical support to assist local young people develop their ideas into successful businesses.

“The Turnbull Government is supporting entrepreneurship and self-employment among young people as we fundamentally believe that the best form of welfare is a job,” Minister Cash said.

“Entrepreneurship is a powerful option for overcoming unemployment, however only a small number of job seekers pursue this pathway.”

Announced as part of the Government’s Youth Employment Package in the 2016-17 Budget the Entrepreneurship Facilitators will;

Promote entrepreneurship and self-employment
Encourage young people to develop new business ideas
Assist potential young entrepreneurs in accessing assistance to support and establish their own business
Link them to existing programs including the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)

Applications are sought from organisations and individuals with strong relevant regional knowledge and a commitment to youth business development.

The Department of Employment will host an information session for potential applicants via webinar on 21 October 2016.

For more information and how to apply call 1300 733 514 or visit: https://www.employment.gov.au/employment-services-procurement-information

Applications close at 5pm AEDT on 3 November 2016.

Tue Sep 6

Sargents Pies Charitable Foundation

Written by Maya Ivanovic

Brian Andrews, Purchasing Manager, Sargent’s Pies

Sargents Pies Charitable Foundation supporting children with hearing loss in Western Sydney

Pledge $950,000 donation to support opening of new centre

One of Australia’s longest standing pie manufacturers, Sargents Pies, is a familiar sight on the shelves of supermarkets and on tables across Australia. An iconic Australian company, the organisation is very humble in its operations and charitable enterprises.

At its Western Sydney location, there is no prominent signage displaying the company’s logo. Driving past, it would be easy to miss this manufacturer that churns out some two million pies per week.

Founded in 1896 by the original owners George and Charlotte Sargent, the company has evolved to be one of the major pie making companies in Australia.

Sargent’s Pies current owner established Sargent’s Pies Charitable Foundation in 1997. The foundation was started with the sole purpose of giving back to the community and, since its inception, has given away ‘many millions of dollars’ to organisations in need. The aim is to provide ‘The relief of poverty, suffering, distress or misfortune within Australia and to ‘facilitate the needs of persons who are in necessitous circumstances within Australia’.

The Foundation has just awarded the largest sum ever donated to The Shepherd Centre - $950,000. It has supported The Shepherd Centre since 2011 with a total of $1,248,000 over five separate grants.

‘At Sargent’s Pies, we keep our heads down and let our products do the talking,’ said Brian Andrews, Purchasing Manager, Sargent’s Pies. ‘The Foundation operates in a similar logic. Albeit we give away some large amounts of money, you don’t often hear about it. We could go seeking a lot more publicity than we do but that’s not what we’re here for.’

Sargent’s Pies Foundation is inspired by the work The Shepherd Centre does with children with hearing loss.

‘The children speak so beautifully,’ commented Brian. ‘Fifty years ago there probably wasn’t a lot of help for kids that have profound hearing loss. These days with advances in medical procedures and organisations like The Shepherd Centre to provide the support and assistance with early intervention, a lot more can be done to support them.’

In the past, the Foundation has supported the establishment of audio booths at The Shepherd Centre’s Liverpool centre however the recent donation will now help set up a new centre in Campbelltown to help many children with hearing loss in Sydney’s western suburbs.

‘We are pleased to be able to provide the funds needed to purchase the new centre for the Campbelltown area,’ said Brian.

The establishment of a sixth centre for the world-leading early intervention provider is part of The Shepherd Centre’s “Sound Future” strategy which aims to ensure that all children with hearing loss have access to the essential services they need. Currently only half of the children in NSW with hearing loss are accessing critical early intervention programs like that offered at The Shepherd Centre so there is clearly a demand for more help for these children and their families.

‘The Shepherd Centre does amazing work and has outcomes that speak for themselves,’ said Brian. ‘As our factory is in Western Sydney we see that there is a great need for additional services in the outer suburbs. As our population grows faster in the west than some of the services available the fact that The Shepherd Centre is choosing to set up in Campbelltown makes sense.’