Business Connect: Program Complete, Lasting Legacy
The Business Connect Program was established in response to a disconnect between local businesses and the region’s migrant and refugee community. While employers across the Toowoomba region were experiencing ongoing workforce shortages, many capable migrant and refugee jobseekers faced barriers to accessing employment. Business Connect was designed to bridge this gap – supporting businesses to fill vacancies while enabling migrant and refugee jobseekers to be connected to and transition into meaningful work.
At its core, Business Connect operated as a wrap around employment support model, providing tailored assistance to both employers and jobseekers from pre employment through to post placement.
Business Connect also played a broader role in building awareness of the value of workforce diversity.
Business Connect began as a short-term project in 2019 and grew into something far greater than we could have imagined. What started as a four month initiative became a seven year journey of collaboration, learning and meaningful change within our community.
The relationships built, the opportunities created, and the confidence gained by participants will continue to ripple through our community for years to come.
It has truly been an honour to do this work supporting migrants and refugees with employment pathways and contributing to building a diverse local workforce.
Business Connect’s Impact
Business Connect delivered meaningful and measurable outcomes for participants, employers and the broader community.
- 240 participants supported through Ready for Work training, under the Queensland Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative
- 209 people assisted into local employment
- 250+ local businesses engaged with
- 7 years of community impact and collaboration
Together, these results demonstrate the lasting impact of Business Connect which has strengthened employment pathways, partnerships and community connection.
The program also led to the development of a Cultural Awareness Handbook, now being used across multiple regions, ensuring the learning and benefits of Business Connect continue well beyond its closure.
None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of the Toowoomba community. We thank the local businesses who opened their doors and the broader community who embraced cultural diversity and inclusion.
“What began as a small project became a legacy of opportunity, inclusion and community impact.”
– Georgie Carswell
Business Connect Program Manager
Cultural Awareness Handbook
Cultural Awareness Handbook [pdf]
Are you a culturally aware workplace?
We have developed a Cultural Awareness Handbook thanks to our partnership with DYJESBT to assist businesses to employ and onboard migrants and refugees and provide a roadmap for employing migrants and refugees, including information about the wrap-around support available.
The Handbook highlights potential cultural differences and tips to addressing these, with a big emphasis on language support throughout the employment and onboarding process; post-placement mentoring and how to integrate a culturally and linguistically diverse employee into your workplace.
Many local businesses and organisations have contributed their time, their knowledge, and their learnings to the development of the Handbook. These businesses have shared their firsthand experiences and their key learnings to help other businesses. Without their input we would not have such an in-depth resource for the Toowoomba business community.
Skilled Migrants and Refugees
If you have skills gaps in your business or are finding it difficult to fill a particular role, please consider skilled migrants and refugees for your business.
While the Business Connect Program has now closed, Our vision for a more inclusive Toowoomba is to build on the outreach and collaboration we have achieved through ongoing industry partnerships and continue to see diverse recruitment across our community.