2001

April 2001
Two Bishops Trust Worker Set to Start in Muswellbrook
Unemployment and a gap in skills in Muswellbrook are key issues soon to be tackled by the newly appointed Upper Hunter employment and small business project officer.

The Two Bishops Trust in partnership with the Coal & Allied Community trust has appointed a project worker to Muswellbrook Shire for a 12 month period to develop long term, sustainable solutions to assist the area's unemployed and those people wishing to expand their skills.

"The Community Trust committed $94,000 to establish the Two Bishops Trust in Muswellbrook and address unemployment as the core social problem in the region," Coal & Allied Community Trustee, Neville Pearsall said.

"The Coal & Allied Community Trust eagerly support the project as it uses the experience of successful programs in other centres and tailors it for Muswellbrook to find real solutions to long-term unemployment," he said.

Since commencing the position on March 26, Phoebe Begg has been liaising with the community to identify the area's problem issues.

"We're talking to a lot of unemployed residents to find out what the issues are," Mrs Begg said.

"We're listening to ideas to see what can be done and to see what's needed. We're not going in with any perceived ideas. We're going in to listen. What we're trying to do is get local people into local jobs. We're trying to work with the community. There's quite a lot of unemployed people and there's also some job vacancies that people have difficulty filling because of the skills gap."

Mrs Begg said she was aware of the stigma associated with unemployment, but also understood the difficulty that could cause for the unemployed.

"We're looking at creating a culture of giving the unemployed a go, and that has to have community involvement."

Mrs Begg said she would be targeting employment opportunities, developing practical pathways to assist unemployed residents to find work and exploring how to best provide a range of training options that may include business, life skills and leadership training.

There was also talk of establishing a resource centre for unemployed residents and a registry of home based businesses, she said.

"It's interesting work.. It's quite a fun position, it's quite exciting. There's a lot of community support."

Mrs Begg, a social worker, Murrurundi farmer and mother of three, said she had worked with a number of unemployed people and welcomed input from the community.

She is based at the St Albans Missionary Centre in Bridge Street , Muswellbrook.

The Two Bishops Trust, established in October 1998, is a historic joint venture between the Catholic and Anglican Churches, The Samaritans Foundation and the St Vincent de Paul Society, and seeks to assist the Hunter's unemployed.

The initiative aims to provide long term solutions for people who are unemployed or on a fixed low income through the nurturing of employment opportunities.

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