Employment opportunities offered to veterans through RSL employment program
VETERANS struggling to find work in the Northern Territory will benefit from a $6m veterans employment program
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VETERANS struggling to find work in the Northern Territory will benefit from a $6m veterans employment program placing them in jobs relevant to their skills and capabilities.
RSL NT chief executive David Grenvold said Defence members often found it difficult transitioning into other careers on leaving the Defence force.
“It is potentially that loss of clear purpose and identity that people in the Defence force may have acquired over their service that they lose when they step outside that environment,” Mr Grenvold said.
“Veteran welfare is at the heart of everything RSL Northern Territory does and we welcome this comprehensive and holistic approach to addressing a major issue for our Defence family.”
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Mr Grenvold said the $6m grant program, funded by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, had already helped 400 veterans in Queensland find new jobs, despite a global pandemic also impacting the economy.
“That program originated in Queensland and RSL Australia has the remit now to push that out to other states – South Australia and the Northern Territory are the first ones to kick it off.”
The program not only helps veterans but offers an array of supporting services such as financial counselling, employment for partners and mental health support to empower veterans to remain in work.
Veteran Kieran Staub said he had struggled after transitioning away from the regimented Defence lifestyle, after serving for seven-and-a-half years, including two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
After a three-year stint as a FIFO worker, Mr Staub landed a government job that didn’t suit him before getting a job as a motorway response officer doing incident response for the Logan and Gateway Motorways.
“It was not good for my mental health, I was moody, moped around the day before I’d have to go to work,” he said.
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“The program listened to me, when they came for me with job opportunities it was stuff I was interested in and fitted in with the skills I had in my resume.”
Several employers such as Australia Post, Ergon Energy/Energex, Suncorp and Boeing are already on board with the program.
Since its pilot program in Townsville 2018, the program has helped 962 veterans get jobs across more than 400 roles nationally, with employment rates growing each year.
In 2020 there was a 150 per cent growth in inquiries into the program and a 15 per cent growth in job placement.
Originally published as Employment opportunities offered to veterans through RSL employment program
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