The ‘Diversity Job Bank’ (DJB) is a key component to implementing the Workforce Diversity Strategy and is linked to a wide range of employment service providers who work with people from each of the three priority areas ie. Indigenous Australians, people with disabilities and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.  The DJB aims to provide a comprehensive ‘brokerage’ service for prospective managers who might wish to recruit general staff within their faculties, departments and central administration.

The following employment options are offered through the Workforce Diversity Strategy:

• Ongoing employment
   
• Fixed-term employment, generally for a period of up to 12 months
   
• Casual employment
    
• Traineeships - A traineeship is a structured program, approved by the Department of  Education and Training, designed to assist employees develop skills in the business  administration / information technology areas.  The duration of a traineeship is generally between 12 and 18 months and it can be conducted 100% on-the-job or a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job. A Trainee must work at least 20 hours per week and complete a series of training modules against which their progress are assessed. Traineeships attract a generous subsidy and have the dual benefit of being cost-effective and providing an opportunity for skills development for members from  the identified priority areas. While there is no obligation to provide ongoing  employment at the cessation of the Traineeship, it is regarded as best practice to proactively assist the trainee with obtaining appropriate employment at UWA.
   
• Cadetships - The National Indigenous Cadetship Project (NICP) is a Commonwealth  Government initiative aimed at improving the professional employment prospects of Indigenous Australians.  The NICP involves identifying employers who wish to take on Indigenous cadets and helping those employers to find suitable cadets.  The employer  is required to:
  • pay the cadet a study allowance while the cadet studies full time (NICP will reimburse the money paid as study allowance up to a maximum limit) 
  • provides a paid work experience placement for the cadet for 12 weeks each year. This work experience is usually undertaken between academic years i.e between December and February.  (NICP does not cover these costs.)
     
• Supported Teams - is an initiative designed to support the employment of people with disabilities. The scheme is highly subsidised and operates on a productivity wage arrangement under the principle of a 'fair days work for a fair days pay'. The teams generally comprise 2-3 persons who are employed for up to twenty hours per week and are supervised at all times. This initiative is particularly suitable for repetitive and routine tasks and provides an excellent opportunity to meet our social responsibility as an employer.

How does one recruit staff through the Diversity Job Bank?

There is a range of employment and training options managers and supervisors can adopt with respect to participating in the Workforce Diversity Strategy.  Further details on recruiting staff through the DJB are outlined in the Workforce Diversity Strategy - Policy and Procedures guide, which is designed to explain the process involved in selecting staff through the DJB, outline the respective roles of  Equity and Diversity and Managers, and answer frequently asked questions.