Employment - Corporate Responsibility

Employment

Real employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians

Employment is central to any strategy to improve the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. ANZ is a large national employer with reach into metropolitan, regional and remote communities across Australia, giving us a particular opportunity to help create more employment opportunities for Indigenous people.

ANZ announced on 12 December 2008 it will lift employment targets for Indigenous Australians up to 10% of entry-level roles in its branch network (352 jobs) by the end of 2011, as part of its commitment to the Australian Employment Covenant (AEC). For more information on the AEC, visit www.fiftythousandjobs.com.au.

ANZ will work with the AEC to achieve a target of 5% of entry-level roles in the ANZ Australian branch network (176 real jobs) to be filled by Indigenous Australians who complete an ANZ traineeship by December 2011.

In addition, ANZ will make available a further 5% of entry-level roles to Indigenous Australians who attain the necessary training through the support of the AEC, and subject to suitable roles being available for these candidates in their desired location.

The new AEC commitment extends undertakings given in April 2007, when ANZ announced the most ambitious targets for the employment of Indigenous Australians of any major Australian company as part of its Reconciliation Action Plan.

Media release: ANZ Outlines New Commitments for Indigenous Australians (PDF 28kB)

Traineeship Program

The Reconciliation Action Plan commits us to expanding our current involvement in a school-based traineeship program in partnership with the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES).

The program provides trainees with practical banking and workplace experience, nurturing the capabilities and confidence that can allow them to broaden their future employment or academic opportunities. This can result in full time employment with ANZ or another organisation or tertiary study.

Going Further

The traineeship program has led to some outstanding success stories, but the Reconciliation Action Plan prompted us to ask what more we could be doing.

Measures to retain and assist the development of Indigenous employees are just as important as recruitment. The Action Plan therefore commits ANZ to promote at least 20 Indigenous employees on merit to ANZ management positions by 2014, and to lifting the proportion of employees from Indigenous backgrounds in our regional and rural business to 3% by 2011.

Find out more about Employment for Indigenous Australians

Case study: Changing attitudes in rural Australia
Emma McDonald joined ANZ as a school-based trainee in 2004. Since then, she's become a full-time Service Consultant in Regional and Rural Banking. She's also experienced a stint as a Personal Banker. Emma was also recognised by ANZ when she won the Rural Star award for her region. Emma says the traineeship gave her a great head start on a career, and a lot of useful skills: "One of the most positive things I got out of working with ANZ was the ability to communicate with customers and people in general better ... I have received an enormous amount of support from ANZ staff and the Aboriginal Employment Strategy. The traineeship program is a great opportunity that I would recommend to anyone. Growing up in rural Moree with its high Indigenous unemployment rate, Emma noticed "the negativity and mixed opinions about Indigenous employment". ANZ's traineeship program is helping to change that negativity, she says: "The progress and great success of our school based trainees gives young aboriginal people more self confidence and creates a positive outlook from the community.

Case study: Changing attitudes in rural Australia

Emma McDonald joined ANZ as a school-based trainee in 2004. Since then, she's become a full-time Service Consultant in Regional and Rural Banking. She's also experienced a stint as a Personal Banker. Emma was also recognised by ANZ when she won the Rural Star award for her region.

Emma says the traineeship gave her a great head start on a career, and a lot of useful skills: "One of the most positive things I got out of working with ANZ was the ability to communicate with customers and people in general better ... I have received an enormous amount of support from ANZ staff and the Aboriginal Employment Strategy. The traineeship program is a great opportunity that I would recommend to anyone.

Growing up in rural Moree with its high Indigenous unemployment rate, Emma noticed "the negativity and mixed opinions about Indigenous employment". ANZ's traineeship program is helping to change that negativity, she says: "The progress and great success of our school based trainees gives young aboriginal people more self confidence and creates a positive outlook from the community.

Progress in 2008

ANZ comfortably met its traineeship commitment in 2008, recruiting 103 Indigenous trainees in the first half of the year. Approximately 60% of these placements are in our regional branches and 40% in metropolitan branches.

The future

ANZ maintains its commitment to recruit at least 100 school-based trainees each year. Our longer term focus is meeting our commitments of 3% of regional and rural staff from Indigenous backgrounds, and at least 20 Indigenous employees promoted on merit to management position.

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