Celebrating one year in the west

MEGT staff celebrate the first anniversary of providing Workforce Australia Services within Melbourne’s western suburbs. (Supplied)

Workforce Australia Services provider Melbourne Eastern Group Training (MEGT) has celebrated 12 months of operations in the western suburbs, revealing it’s helped over 5,000 jobseekers towards training or work in its first year.

More than 60 local employers joined training providers and MEGT staff to celebrate the milestone in Footscray, one of five office locations from which MEGT operates across the western suburbs along with Sunshine, Altona, Melton and Werribee.

MEGT chief executive Matthew Hick said providing employment services to disadvantaged clients was at the core of the business’ culture.

“MEGT first opened its’ doors in 1982 with a commitment to ensuring nobody is left behind in terms of accessing the workforce,” he said.

“The work which our dedicated staff here in the western suburbs have undertaken over the past 12 months is a huge source of pride to our business, and a credit to the entire team.”

During the first year of providing employment services in Melbourne’s west, MEGT has helped place almost 2,000 job seekers into employment, including more than 400 who’ve remained in work for at least six months.

MEGT employment services general manager Paul Bennett paid tribute to team members for meeting the challenge of helping disadvantaged Australians into work.

“More than a third of our clients have a disability and we’ve seen an increase in people experiencing homelessness which poses huge challenges while trying to find work,” he said.

“Our staff have a genuine care for, and commitment to, the people they are helping. It’s extremely satisfying to see the outcomes they continue to achieve every day”.

MEGT provides Workforce Australia services on behalf of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).