August 20, 2023 • 8 mins
A certificate from a “job ready” course isn’t always going to guarantee your new employee will be able to hit the ground running.
Hayden Heta is the managing director of construction company Wamarra, which helps Aboriginal workers find and stay in long-term employment.
Hayden shares how he created a meaningful path to induct new employees and unlocks the key strategies you could utilise to create a smooth transition for workers into your organisation.
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Getting It Right is a Jobsbank podcast. It was produced by Deadset Studios and hosted by Rae Johnston.
To find your downloadable Getting It Right Guide click here. Visit the Jobsbank Resource Centre for more information on inclusive employment and social procurement.
CREDITS
Host: Rae Johnston
Deadset Studios executive producers: Kellie Riordan, Ann Chesterman, Rachel Fountain
Deadset Studios producer: Luci McAfee
Sound Design: Scott Stronach
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Oi, where's Fatimah?
Speaker 4 (00:09):
I haven't seen her for a while. She hasn't been
in all week.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Jeez. That's not looking good. She's only lasted three days.
It's gotta be a new record. Should we call the police?
Maybe do a welfare check? I just don't know why
she wouldn't show up. This job's such a great opportunity
for her.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Yeah. No, it is a great opportunity. But do, do
you think maybe we threw her in the deep end
a bit too quickly? Like we could have gotten to
that induction training you talked about?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
No, that's not it. She just came out of that
job ready training program and the clue's in the name,
she was job ready. Ready to go.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Yeah. But we still hadn't gotten her a uniform. We
put her in charge of running the floor on the
second day and she was asking for shifts around when
she could pick up her kids. Did we ever sort
that out?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It sounds like that's all on her. It doesn't seem
like she had a very job ready attitude. Does it?
Some people just don't wanna work and there's not much you
can do about it. Anyway. Onwards and upwards. Just bring
in the next one, will you?
Rae Johnston (01:12):
We've all heard businesses or governments brag about people being
job ready, but there's so much more to it than
just completing a course. I'm Rae Johnston and this is
Getting It Right,a podcast from Jobs Bank which helps you hire
with purpose. And when it comes to being job ready,
(01:34):
employers need to play their part too. In season one
of Getting It Right, we spoke with an employer named
Hayden Heta.
I'm a proud Wiradjuri man and I'm the managing director
for Wamarra. Wamarra meaning build. We use that because we're
building infrastructure, but more importantly for us, we're building the
(01:55):
capabilities of our community.
Hayden Heta (01:57):
Hayden's company is an Aboriginal owned construction company. So to
ensure his new employees are ready for work, he creates
culturally safe work environments and individualised career plans. He's also
committed to providing long term career opportunities for mob.
My mother is Aboriginal, as I mentioned, Wiradjuri woman, and
(02:20):
my dad is Maori and I've grown up embracing both
cultures and it's definitely, I guess the start of a
pathway to how I've ended up where I am now.
I guess I grew up in a very much a,
a white society, if you, if I can say that.
Played local sport, had a lot of non-Indigenous friends as
(02:42):
well and doing the role of Aboriginal culture heritage just
opened up my eyes and gave me a new appreciation
for my culture. I mean, it definitely allowed me an
experience and a deeper understanding of how to engage respectfully
and why respectful engagement, respectful Aboriginal participation is so important.
Rae Johnston (03:05):
As a proud Wiradjuri and Maori man Hayden saw first- hand
people within his community being locked out of the job
market and decided to do something about it.
Hayden Heta (03:17):
The perception was that the social procurement framework has created
opportunities for all Aboriginal people that are willing and able.
And whilst there's a notion of truth to that, that
the social procurement framework does provide opportunity, the opportunities just
aren't as accessible as what the perception was in government.
And where that really came to light for me was
(03:39):
coaching an Aboriginal football side in Melbourne called the Fitzroy
Stars Football club, where an incredibly proud Aboriginal football side
with 40 plus years of history and supporting about an 80%
Aboriginal participation or Aboriginal team. And where the frustration came
was that as a coach and as a leader of
a football club, I'm seeing all these young men trying
(04:02):
to enter the construction industry and they just could not
maintain steady employment. A lot of them were getting an
opportunity but just the way the construction industry is structured,
I guess and heavily utilising labor hire type of businesses
and they absolutely serve a purpose in our industry. But
what it lacked in some cases was continuity. So that
(04:23):
was a real light bulb moment for me to say I've
got the ability here to do something. And in some
ways I felt responsible, it was my responsibility to do something.
And that was really what led me to start this business.
Rae Johnston (04:37):
Once Hayden noticed that disconnect, he realized there were a
few things that he as the company manager could do
to ensure a smooth transition into the workplace. It's not
just about putting new candidates through a one day job
ready course.
Hayden Heta (04:55):
So there's three key pillars that I work to and
they're uncompromising. We stick to them because we're true to
the core of what we want to achieve. The first
pillar is providing continuity of employment. So all of our employees
are engaged full-time and ongoing. The second pillar is to
provide upskilling for our community and how we do that
(05:17):
is all of our employees from myself through to our
newest entrant, have a an individualized career plan. So the
career plan is really around capturing the individual's aspirations, whether
they're directly relating to our business and the work that
we have in hand or whether it's something that they,
a behavioral thing that they might want to challenge themselves
(05:38):
on or some type of soft skill. And the last
pillar which I think is the most important pillar to
the success of our business to this point in time is
creating a culturally safe environment. And what that means for
us in our business is simply Aboriginal people, supporting Aboriginal people.
We have a strong mentoring program, a strong peer support program.
(06:00):
But we also have a number of non Indigenous staff
within our business also where we offer cultural awareness training
to our non Indigenous staff and people on the peripheral,
just to create that level of understanding of where some of
the struggles that Aboriginal people have faced in the past,
you know, so from a from a historical point of view,
but also what we can do in regards to unity
(06:22):
and collaboration moving forward.
Rae Johnston (06:26):
But when you're striving to have a more diverse workforce,
it can be tricky. And some businesses stumble when they're
trying to connect with communities like Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people.
Hayden Heta (06:36):
Where I see companies failing is that they're focused on
ticking the box and meeting these mandated targets without really
understanding what the social outcome is from meeting those targets.
Targets can often create a false ceiling. So once you
hit the target, there's almost no need to use you anymore.
(06:58):
So we're trying to almost educate our clients and and
other people within the broader sector that social procurement isn't
something we should be scared of. Don't get me wrong.
Most of our clients, actually, I should say all of
our clients are on this journey with us and we're
seeing that narrative start to change a little bit from, hey,
we need to tick the box here to help us
(07:19):
tick the box meet the targets but exceed the targets
and then celebrate the stories.
Rae Johnston (07:28):
That's Hayden Heta, a proud Wiradjuri man who's the managing
director for Wamarra. To hear his full story and to
get tips from him that can help you expand your
hiring pool, listen to the full episode with Hayden on
season one of Getting It Right. There's also loads of
resources on social inclusion and hiring at Jobsba nk's resource
(07:50):
center at jobsbank.org.au. I'm Rae Johnston. Getting It Right is
a podcast from Jobsbank and is produced by Dead Set Studios.
This episode was recorded on the unceded lands of the
sovereign Darug, Gundungurra, Wiradjuri and Gadigal peoples, produced and edited
(08:12):
on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera people. And we wish
to pay our deepest respects to their elders past and
present and ask that you too acknowledge the Aboriginal or
Torres Strait Islander lands that you're listening from.
Oi, where's Fatimah?
Speaker 4 (00:09):
I haven't seen her for a while. She hasn't been
in all week.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Jeez. That's not looking good. She's only lasted three days.
It's gotta be a new record. Should we call the police?
Maybe do a welfare check? I just don't know why
she wouldn't show up. This job's such a great opportunity
for her.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
Yeah. No, it is a great opportunity. But do, do
you think maybe we threw her in the deep end
a bit too quickly? Like we could have gotten to
that induction training you talked about?
Speaker 3 (00:34):
No, that's not it. She just came out of that
job ready training program and the clue's in the name,
she was job ready. Ready to go.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Yeah. But we still hadn't gotten her a uniform. We
put her in charge of running the floor on the
second day and she was asking for shifts around when
she could pick up her kids. Did we ever sort
that out?
Speaker 3 (00:54):
It sounds like that's all on her. It doesn't seem
like she had a very job ready attitude. Does it?
Some people just don't wanna work and there's not much you
can do about it. Anyway. Onwards and upwards. Just bring
in the next one, will you?
Rae Johnston (01:12):
We've all heard businesses or governments brag about people being
job ready, but there's so much more to it than
just completing a course. I'm Rae Johnston and this is
Getting It Right,a podcast from Jobs Bank which helps you hire
with purpose. And when it comes to being job ready,
(01:34):
employers need to play their part too. In season one
of Getting It Right, we spoke with an employer named
Hayden Heta.
I'm a proud Wiradjuri man and I'm the managing director
for Wamarra. Wamarra meaning build. We use that because we're
building infrastructure, but more importantly for us, we're building the
(01:55):
capabilities of our community.
Hayden Heta (01:57):
Hayden's company is an Aboriginal owned construction company. So to
ensure his new employees are ready for work, he creates
culturally safe work environments and individualised career plans. He's also
committed to providing long term career opportunities for mob.
My mother is Aboriginal, as I mentioned, Wiradjuri woman, and
(02:20):
my dad is Maori and I've grown up embracing both
cultures and it's definitely, I guess the start of a
pathway to how I've ended up where I am now.
I guess I grew up in a very much a,
a white society, if you, if I can say that.
Played local sport, had a lot of non-Indigenous friends as
(02:42):
well and doing the role of Aboriginal culture heritage just
opened up my eyes and gave me a new appreciation
for my culture. I mean, it definitely allowed me an
experience and a deeper understanding of how to engage respectfully
and why respectful engagement, respectful Aboriginal participation is so important.
Rae Johnston (03:05):
As a proud Wiradjuri and Maori man Hayden saw first- hand
people within his community being locked out of the job
market and decided to do something about it.
Hayden Heta (03:17):
The perception was that the social procurement framework has created
opportunities for all Aboriginal people that are willing and able.
And whilst there's a notion of truth to that, that
the social procurement framework does provide opportunity, the opportunities just
aren't as accessible as what the perception was in government.
And where that really came to light for me was
(03:39):
coaching an Aboriginal football side in Melbourne called the Fitzroy
Stars Football club, where an incredibly proud Aboriginal football side
with 40 plus years of history and supporting about an 80%
Aboriginal participation or Aboriginal team. And where the frustration came
was that as a coach and as a leader of
a football club, I'm seeing all these young men trying
(04:02):
to enter the construction industry and they just could not
maintain steady employment. A lot of them were getting an
opportunity but just the way the construction industry is structured,
I guess and heavily utilising labor hire type of businesses
and they absolutely serve a purpose in our industry. But
what it lacked in some cases was continuity. So that
(04:23):
was a real light bulb moment for me to say I've
got the ability here to do something. And in some
ways I felt responsible, it was my responsibility to do something.
And that was really what led me to start this business.
Rae Johnston (04:37):
Once Hayden noticed that disconnect, he realized there were a
few things that he as the company manager could do
to ensure a smooth transition into the workplace. It's not
just about putting new candidates through a one day job
ready course.
Hayden Heta (04:55):
So there's three key pillars that I work to and
they're uncompromising. We stick to them because we're true to
the core of what we want to achieve. The first
pillar is providing continuity of employment. So all of our employees
are engaged full-time and ongoing. The second pillar is to
provide upskilling for our community and how we do that
(05:17):
is all of our employees from myself through to our
newest entrant, have a an individualized career plan. So the
career plan is really around capturing the individual's aspirations, whether
they're directly relating to our business and the work that
we have in hand or whether it's something that they,
a behavioral thing that they might want to challenge themselves
(05:38):
on or some type of soft skill. And the last
pillar which I think is the most important pillar to
the success of our business to this point in time is
creating a culturally safe environment. And what that means for
us in our business is simply Aboriginal people, supporting Aboriginal people.
We have a strong mentoring program, a strong peer support program.
(06:00):
But we also have a number of non Indigenous staff
within our business also where we offer cultural awareness training
to our non Indigenous staff and people on the peripheral,
just to create that level of understanding of where some of
the struggles that Aboriginal people have faced in the past,
you know, so from a from a historical point of view,
but also what we can do in regards to unity
(06:22):
and collaboration moving forward.
Rae Johnston (06:26):
But when you're striving to have a more diverse workforce,
it can be tricky. And some businesses stumble when they're
trying to connect with communities like Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people.
Hayden Heta (06:36):
Where I see companies failing is that they're focused on
ticking the box and meeting these mandated targets without really
understanding what the social outcome is from meeting those targets.
Targets can often create a false ceiling. So once you
hit the target, there's almost no need to use you anymore.
(06:58):
So we're trying to almost educate our clients and and
other people within the broader sector that social procurement isn't
something we should be scared of. Don't get me wrong.
Most of our clients, actually, I should say all of
our clients are on this journey with us and we're
seeing that narrative start to change a little bit from, hey,
we need to tick the box here to help us
(07:19):
tick the box meet the targets but exceed the targets
and then celebrate the stories.
Rae Johnston (07:28):
That's Hayden Heta, a proud Wiradjuri man who's the managing
director for Wamarra. To hear his full story and to
get tips from him that can help you expand your
hiring pool, listen to the full episode with Hayden on
season one of Getting It Right. There's also loads of
resources on social inclusion and hiring at Jobsba nk's resource
(07:50):
center at jobsbank.org.au. I'm Rae Johnston. Getting It Right is
a podcast from Jobsbank and is produced by Dead Set Studios.
This episode was recorded on the unceded lands of the
sovereign Darug, Gundungurra, Wiradjuri and Gadigal peoples, produced and edited
(08:12):
on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera people. And we wish
to pay our deepest respects to their elders past and
present and ask that you too acknowledge the Aboriginal or
Torres Strait Islander lands that you're listening from.
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