The Victorian Government will create more than 3,000 jobs in critical community-support organisations through its landmark Working for Victoria scheme – getting people left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic back to work.

Minister for Employment Jaala Pulford today confirmed that the majority of the latest jobs backed by the Working for Victoria initiative would be focused on community service organisations and young people.

Working for Victoria has joined with the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS) – a strong advocate for the community sector – to deliver funding to 59 organisations including Anglicare, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Jesuit Social Services, Uniting, Foodbank and a range of migrant resource operations – supporting 1,100 jobs.

The new workers will perform roles including employment support, counselling and youth services, community engagement, emergency and food relief, family support and support for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. Around 150 jobs will be dedicated to Victoria’s multicultural communities.

The new Youth Employment Program will give up to 800 young people the opportunity to kickstart their careers and develop their skills for the future through a collaboration with the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).

Victorians aged between 17 and 29 will be eligible for six to 12-month jobs in the public service to give them a foot in the door and on-the-job experience and training.

More than 100 young people currently employed through the Youth Employment Scheme (YES) and the Youth Cadetship Scheme (YCS) across the public service will have their employment extended by six months.

The Government has also struck agreements with an additional 10 local councils to support some 1,200 Victorians to immediately return to work with roles including maintaining local parks, gardens and sporting fields and performing a range of community services involving vulnerable residents.

The Greater Geelong, Wyndham, Brimbank, Casey, Greater Dandenong, Melton, Darebin, Frankston, Cardinia and Moonee Valley councils join 43 other local government bodies that have signed on to Working for Victoria.

Since launching in April, the $500 million Working for Victoria program has supported more than 8,500 workers into new roles. For more information or to register for Working for Victoria go to vic.gov.au/workingforvictoria.