Infoxchange Australia's Community Infocast

Technology connects people and employment

The community services sector is rapidly growing and forms one of Australia’s largest employer groups. In 2011, the sector employed 1.3 million Australians who made up 11.4% of the Australian workforce. Despite the current employment climate, with cuts across all industries, it is expected that over the next five years employment in community service organisations will increase by 24.9%. Given the resource constraints of many organisations within the community services sector, efficiently identifying and recruiting the talent they need is an ongoing challenge.

Growth in this employment sector, in many ways is not surprising. Research has shown that community service professions can offer employees much in the way of personal and job satisfaction and can often provide flexible working conditions, including many part-time or telework opportunities. The need for a balance of work and family life is particularly important in this sector, given that 79% of its workforce is female as reported in the DEEWR 2011 Australian Jobs report.

With the community sector expanding and accruing more employees, planning the recruitment process and attracting capable and suitable candidates is integral to staff retention rates and ensuring a good person-organisation fit. However, the community sector often faces a number of workforce challenges including how best to attract skilled candidates, the cost of recruitment, training and the time commitment involved in hiring staff. Traditional and private sector orientated job search tools can often contribute to inefficiencies in the recruitment for community service professions because they don’t target candidates suitable for the sector. Wading through applications from speculative candidates with unrelated experience delays the recruitment process for both employers and job seekers and can significantly add to the costs.

Infoxchange Australia has this week launched a new JobSeeker website. JobSeeker is Australia’s largest online employment gateway for community, health, welfare and government sector jobs. It has been helping organisations find the right staff for over 15 years with personalised support and targeted services that specialise in community sector employment.

‘Our website lists over 500 new jobs each month, attracts over 60,000 job seekers a month, in addition to over 10,000 email and social media subscribers’, said Eleanor McCombe, Jobseeker Product Coordinator.

The refreshed website introduces several new features and if you’ve used JobSeeker before, the first thing you will notice is the new layout. Infoxchange has done a bit of a spring clean, removed the clutter and redesigned the site to make using it more intuitive, quicker and easier! We’ve also introduced JobSeeker Credits, which allows employers to pre-purchase credit to save time and money without the hassle of needing a credit card every time a job opportunity arises. Infoxchange has also streamlined the account management system, allowing organisations to edit their posts, view statistics and update billing information under one login.

A regular advertiser on Jobseeker, Plenty Valley Community Health said ‘Jobseeker is a fantastic employment website to target people who are interested in working in the community services/non-profit sector. It has the ability to attract a large number of competent and qualified candidates with relevant experience in the non-profit sector.’

Growth in community sector jobs will see the demand for services increase. The need to gain efficiencies in all areas of business, including the recruitment process, will assist organisations to grow effectively as the sector develops. Connecting organisations with the right staff to help them help the community is one way that Jobseeker can support this growth.

For more information visit: http://www.jobseeker.org.au

Australian Jobs 2011 – Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations: www.deewr.gov.au/Employment/ResearchStatistics/Documents/AustralianJobs.pdf

Australian Community Sector Survey 2011:
http://acoss.org.au/images/uploads/ACSS_2011_Report_Volume_1_National.pdf

Rheinard asks "...[I’ve] mapped out quite a specific folder structure for our shared documents...(for teams). What we do lack though is a policy/procedure for specifying the use of a document structure (including naming conventions for files and sub-folders). The folders are pretty self-explanatory, yet we occasionally have staff who insist on moving things or creating duplicates because the structure doesn’t suite everyone’s workflows. Has anyone faced this scenario and perhaps have a policy or guideline to share?"

If you have an example to share, or if you are interested in what others answer log in and go to:

http://cop.itango.infoxchange.net.au/groups/knowledge-management/forum/topic/what-else-is-out-there/?topic_page=2#post-533

Register FREE to ask the community your questions and gain support by connecting with people in your sector: http://cop.itango.infoxchange.net.au/register

In the last month there were 11,241 records updated on Service Seeker, Australia's most extensive directory of community support services.

Small and Major Capital Infrastructure Grants 2012 - The Victorian Government is investing $12 million over four years (2010-2014) to enhance cultural precincts and community facilities in Victoria, and secure the longevity of Victoria’s important community assets.

Find out more visit www.communitynews.infoxchange.net.au

Study Youth Work @ Victoria University -

On 18 May join fastBREAK, in association with the Sydney Writers' Festival, for on early interactive talk exploring the theme ‘Epic’.

fastBREAK is a monthly series of rapid-fire interactive talks hosted by non-profit youth organisation Vibewire Youth Inc. and the Powerhouse Museum.

Find out more visit http://www.youth.infoxchange.net.au/

Planning for the Future - for Parents of Individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder -

Sunday 20th May, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the Willis Room at the Whitehorse Centre Nunawading, Melbourne.The Committee of the Autistic Family Support Association invite all interested persons to attend their 2012 AGM and hear Guest Speakers Dariane McLean and Thea Calzoni from VALID explain the "Keys to Success - Families as Planning Partners" program.

Find out more visit www.disabilitynews.infoxchange.net.au

Case Notes and Record Keeping Workshop - in this 4 hour workshop the areas will be covered: possible audiences for case notes and records; legal and professional obligations; common mistakes in keeping case notes and records and how to avoid them; tips on writing simply, clearly and in a professional manner.

The workshop will run from 12.30pm to 4.30pm and will be held at the Treacy Centre, 126 The Avenue, Parkville, Melbourne.

To find out more visit www.healthnews.infoxchange.net.au

Check out these jobs...

Social Workers: There’s never been a better time to come to register with McArthur

McArthur are currently experiencing acute shortages in the sector; your skills and experience are highly valued by their clients.
find out more.

SOCIAL WORKERS - Make a real difference to your community

Tradewind Australia represent organisations across the state who are seeking the most skilled and positive Social Workers who can work in an independent manner making real changes to the lives of their clients.
find out more.

Lifestyle Activity Coordinator

BAPTCARE - Is seeking a Lifestyle Activity Coordinator wishing to work as part of a committed, supportive, and innovative team responding to the needs of the residents within this 60 bed facility?
find out more.

Drug and Alcohol leadership/coordinator position: immediate start!

Windana Drug and Alcohol Recovery - Has a Full-time position avaliable, based in the east St Kilda head office. It is a Clinical role with leadership focus - Excellent salary package, negotiable for the right person - ASAP start
find out more.

Subscribe to job alerts and get regular updates of the latest community jobs delivered straight to your inbox.

For more information about Jobseeker please visit: www.jobseeker.org.au

NEW JobSeeker website launched: www.jobseeker.org.au

JobSeeker is Australia’s largest online employment gateway for community, health, welfare and government sector jobs. With over 15 successful years helping organisations find the right staff, and job seekers find the right role, our track record speaks for itself:

• Over 500 new jobs are listed on JobSeeker each month
• The website attracts over 60,000 job seekers a month, in addition to over 10,000 email and social media subscribers
• All manner of organisations regularly use JobSeeker, from small organisations through to larger employers such as The Salvation Army, Alfred Health, Anglicare, the Department of Human Services and recruitment agencies representing community service organisations.

JobSeeker lists postings for a wide range of positions including management, case work and administration roles. Jobs are listed by sector as well as location to help job seekers find the right position according to their profession and their region.

JobSeeker lists jobs in areas such as:

• Aged care
• Community development
• Counselling
• Drugs and alcohol
• Disabilities
• Health
• Housing
• Indigenous affairs
• Mental health
• Social work
• Women’s Support
• Youth work

For job seekers the benefits include targeted listings, local and interstate opportunities, reputable organisations, and a wide range of positions.

For employers the benefits include access to a large, targeted audience, competitive pricing, personal support and more.

What's more, revenue earned through Jobseeker goes back into important community and social inclusion projects. Jobseeker is an online enterprise of Infoxchange Australia, a not-for-profit community organisation involved in grassroots social inclusion activities.

Infoxchange's GreenPC enterprise, for example, has distributed nearly 20,000 refurbished ex-government and corporate computers to low-income individuals and communities across Australia and the Asia Pacific over the past 8 years and has created over 350 jobs for formerly long-term unemployed people.

Infoxchange also runs ServiceSeeker, the largest community support services directory in Australia, containing information on over 200,000 services and welfare agencies, as well as S2S, a service coordination referral system handling around 4,000 referrals each month.

To find out how Social Design can build a similar website for your organisation, email socialdesign@infoxchange.net.au or call 03 9418 7495.

Now only $1495* - This is no early bird price, limited seats available book now to secure your place.
The Nationally Recognised Qualification course for the new trainers and assessors.

The TAE40110 is the new qualification designed for both, people who are working as workplace trainers and assessors and those who plan to move into the training and assessing field. The existing TAA40104 Cert IV in Training and Assessment will gradually be replaced by the TAE40110 comprises of 7 core units plus 3 elective units. Click here for more information & registration.
*price excludes training manual @ $200, Healthcare/Disability/Pension Card holders pay $1600 inl. manuals

Computer training as flexible as it gets. Learn new or improve on skills you need to further your career.

(2012 dates now available, click here to view ICT courses)

At Infoxchange we can help you achieve your goal effortlessly. We have a great understanding of the community sector and we are always developing new strategies to suit individual needs.

Our I.T.Flexi Program has proved to be very successful through the years and proud to be able to help.

Please click here for more information about our I.T.Flexi Program

Courses on offer for 2012 includes:
Microsoft Office 2003 | 2007 | 2010, please click here to register.
Visit our website for more info about Training @ Infoxchange. To register for courses, complete our online
registration form.

Refine the skills and knowledge of your staff

We develop tailored training solutions for ICT skills, management and personal development in consultancy with our trainers who are experts in their respective sectors. All our trainers are certified and base their training on their own workplace experience. To get a quote, please contact us to discuss your organisation's training needs.

To view what is on offer, please click here

This training focuses on the delivery of the underlying principles which will enable participants to use the Electronic Service Coordination eReferral system to manage clients and to send and receive referrals confidently.

More information.

This training focuses on the delivery of the underlying principles which will enable participants to use the Electronic Service Coordination eWaitlist system to manage clients as an ACAS case manager or a service provider. More information.

GreenPC

GreenPC refurbished computers are thoroughly cleaned, tested and updated by skilled technicians in our Melbourne workshop, before being offered for sale to community groups and low income individuals.

GreenPC computers are internet ready, come with Windows XP or Windows 7 installed and a 12-month back to base warranty.

To find out more visit www.greenpc.com.au or call 03 9418 7400

Green PC Package - $220
Intel Core II Duo
2.66 GHz
2 GB RAM
80 GB Hard Drive
Onboard Video Card
Onboard Sound Card
CD/DVD Burner
8 USB Ports
Ethernet Port
Keyboard and Mouse
19" LCD monitor

Software Options

Windows 7 (32-bit) installed and configured, 7-zip and Acrobat Reader.
Microsoft Office 2007 Basic.

*Applies to healthcare and pension card holders

Payment can be made via Post Office, money order, bank cheque, credit card, or cash.

Visit www.greenpc.com.au for more information.

ICT Services can supply almost any new PC, laptop, computer component or peripheral device, and at competitive prices. ICT Services has relationships with some of Australia's largest computer wholesalers and can provide items ranging from high-end brand-name servers to additional RAM for notebooks, inkjet or laser printers, digital cameras, external hard drives and PDAs.

ICT Services can also supply most standard operating systems and software packages within 24 hours, and can procure licences for most major products, or provide full, boxed versions of upgraded software, complete with a CD and user manual. Considerable savings are available for not-for-profit organisations.

For more information on hardware, software, and all other services, visit www.ixa.net.au.

Service-to-Service is an innovative solution for community service organisations seeking to streamline their workflow and increase efficiency for the ultimate benefit of clients.

The S2S suite of interlaced software applications can help organisations to manage scarce resources, enable smooth service coordination and referral or give access to comprehensive and accurate information about health and welfare organisations all around Australia. This website explains how the S2S suite can benefit your organisation.

S2S systems complement each other and can easily be packaged to meet customer information needs or business goals. Browse the systems in the menu to see how they can enhance your organisation's capacity.

For more information about S2S Wait List and the full range of service coordination programs, visit

www.s2s.org.au.

Service Seeker is freely available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The directory is readily searchable by agency name, keyword and free text search and can be refined by geographic area.

The information can also be provided in hardcopy & CD-ROM directories and is the basis for the S2S electronic referral system. The records provide not only contact and address information, but also detailed and precise descriptions of the services offered by the organisations providing those services.

For more information about Infoxchange Service Seeker, visit www.serviceseeker.com.au.

For more information about S2S Wait List and the full range of service coordination programs, visit www.s2s.org.au

Language Factory, a social enterprise of Infoxchange Australia, is a community resource that aims to provide affordable and responsive interpreting and translation services to diverse sectors of the community; government, non-government & community organisations.

Social Outcomes

Language Factory aims to generate employment and learning opportunities for public housing tenants through the partnership of agencies and community resources. Language Factory utilises accredited interpreters and translators and the in-house skills of residents living in public housing to provide our community language services.

For more information about this social enterprise, visit www.languagefactory.org.au

yarraReporter - www.yarrareporter.org.au.

Digital Inclusion Initiative training residents of public housing in the City of Yarra in journalism and multimedia.

youthBeat www.youthbeat.net.au

Replication of the yR project in the City of Darebin

Wired communities www.collingwood.vic.au

www.atherton.org.au

Language Factory - www.languagefactory.org.au

Community interpreting and translating service.

Volunteer Seeker - www.volunteer.infoxchange.net.au

Advertise and search volunteer opportunities.

Career Seeker - www.jobseekers.infoxchange.net.au

Add your resume or search through others for the perfect employee.

Infoxchange Australia

03 9418 7400

info@infoxchange.net.au

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