New website for MA Employment Solutions

Mission Australia Employment Solutions recently launched a new website featuring information on our employment programs and site locations, as well as downloadable brochures, fact sheets and tips for job seekers.

Mission Australia is one of Australia's largest providers of Job Services Australia, Australian Apprenticeships and the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme. We have been providing employment services for some 33 years, and operates from close to 150 locations across Australia, with representation in every state and territory.

The new website also includes online forms to allow employer customers to lodge job vacancies, and job seekers to apply for the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme or National Green Jobs Corps programs.

"We've rebuilt the new site from the ground up to help improve the overall visitor experience," said Anthony Rumble, National Marketing and Communication Manager for Employment Solutions.

"Visitors will now find easier access to site locations and contact details, and can also download copies of the current brochure and fact sheet materials.

"Over the next few months, we'll continue to roll out new resources and features, such as newsletter subscriptions, access to downloadable resume and cover letter templates, and articles and advice covering a range of employment topics."

To see the new website, visit www.employmentsolutions.com.au. While you're there, please take the time to let us know what you think.

Business with a heart of glass

Six months ago, glassmaker Matthew Anderson sold the odd bit of his work on Ebay to make a bit of extra money.

Now he’s running his own business, with the support of a new Mission Australia employment scheme.

The city resident supplies local clients with laboratory glassware he makes or imports from India.

“Ever since I was young I always loved scientific stuff and chemistry,” Mr Anderson told The City Messenger.

“I’ve had good jobs but I have never lasted more than a few months; I don’t know why. This is the first time work is something I truly love.”

Under the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, participants complete a training program and then formulate their own business plan which is approved by industry representatives.

Mission Australia provides support for the first year of the business, including a mentor to monitor progress.

The program is funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Mr Anderson joined the program in January and his business - www.sciencesupply.com.au - has already attracted 10 clients.

He said he would “still be completely broke and hopeless” were it not for the program.

“All of a sudden I have money in the bank.”

Mr Anderson, who cares for his schizophrenic brother David, is now hoping to save enough money to buy a block of land in the Adelaide Hills and build a house. For more information on the program, contact 1300 006 347.

Story by Jessica Whiting, courtesy of The City Messenger.

Further reading

• For more information on the NEIS program and information on how to start your own business, visit our new Employment Solutions website.
• Read more NEIS success stories here.

Media release: Good business can be a laughing matter

Any comedian will tell you comedy can be hard work. Adelaide’s Ben Darsow found a novel way to make it a bit easier.

The up-and-coming stand-up comedian from Plympton honed both his business and his performance skills with support from Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)* and started 2011 with a diary booked solid through to June.

“The program made it clear to me that developing as a performer and managing the business side of being a performer were very different tasks and reinforced the importance of focussing attention on both of them,” he said.

“It was a real transition phase. I moved from performing as a hobby for pocket money to being able to sustain a new mortgage and a suitable lifestyle solely off being a professional stand-up comedian.

“The mentoring and interaction with other fresh business owners really helped me with my marketing, admin and decision making about my professional direction and I feel worlds ahead of where I was 12 months ago.”

Immediately after completing the program Ben was able to quit his casual job and start a new work schedule that will include performances at this year’s Adelaide Fringe (his show, ‘No Such Thing as Normal,’ will be performed at Sugar nightclub on Rundle Streeet, Adelaide).

“Given the idea of the program is to help people progress past needing other sources of income that was uncannily fitting,” he said.

NEIS is funded by the Australian Government to help job seekers successfully set up their own small businesses. Participants receive payments for a year, are assigned a mentor and assisted to develop management skills and a business plan.

“It is one of the most successful labour market programs in Australia because it teaches people to avoid the pitfalls that cause so many new small businesses to fail in the first year,” said Mission Australia’s Warren Silverston.

“Most people don’t think of someone in the creative or performing arts when they think of successful small businesses but the arts add millions of dollars to the Australian economy every year and employ thousands of people.

“There’s no reason people with a creative gift like Ben’s can’t learn to turn their passion into a livelihood. NEIS’s role was to provide the support, guidance and expertise to assist them to make a go of it and channel their talent in a targeted and professional way.”

Reviews suggest Ben has the comedy skills to match his new business prowess. He’s been called “a genuinely funny bugger” (The Advertiser) and his material has been labelled as “hilarious and self deprecating; comedy gold” (Melbourne International Comedy Festival).

For more information, please contact Renae Sullivan at Rann Communication on (08) 8211 7771 or visit Ben’s website at www.bendarsow.com; or ring Ben on 0417 875 043.

*Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) is funded by the Australian Government to help job seekers set up their own successful small businesses. Around 900 people participate in NEIS through Mission Australia every year in every state and territory

Strong online start with DoinBiz

Mission Australia is helping entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground by offering free online support to NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme) participants.

Every NEIS client who successfully completes their training and starts a business is eligible to be featured on our DoinBiz site - www.doinbiz.com.au - with no fee for online design and uploading during the first year of trading.

Created two years ago, DoinBiz enables Mission Australia NEIS businesses to market their products and services. The website gives small businesspeople starting out a helping hand and ongoing promotional support while educating them about the value of quality online marketing.

Small businesses on the DoinBizwebsite are presented in ‘industry’ categories – from ‘air conditioning to tourism’ - to help potential customers find services.

DoinBiz has recently been expanded to include NEIS participants in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania and it is expected that the site will host close to 200 businesses by the end of June 2011.

“We know that if in the early days we assist clients responsibly, and they benefit from their appearance on DoinBiz, that they will naturally remain a long-term client and expand their business presence, recognising it has traceable, measurable benefits for their business,” said Warren Silverston, Mission Australia’s Business Manager NEIS South Australia.

“It exposes our clients to a much larger market, both in Australia and overseas, than would be expected through more traditional forms of marketing such as newspapers. Most importantly, it gives our clients a higher potential success rate in achieving independence from income support and creating new jobs for other unemployed people.”

The website has been constructed to ensure anyone using a search engine such as Google who is looking for a specific product or service will be quickly and directly linked to a Mission Australia NEIS participant’s web page.

“This ‘economies of scale’ web-based marketing model is designed to give even the most computer-illiterate NEIS participant access to this technology,” said Mr Silverston. “The more businesses on the site the merrier and the greater pull for the search engines.”

Mr Silverston added that the DoinBiz promotional website was unique to Mission Australia as a NEIS provider. To find out more visit www.doinbiz.com.au.

NEIS is funded by the Australian Government's Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and is designed to help unemployed job seekers to set up and run their own business. NEIS provides accredited training in small business, business advice and mentoring as well as 52 weeks’ worth of income support.

The art of small business on show in Adelaide

South Australian graduates of Mission Australia’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) are displaying their talents at a special end-of-year show - Simply ‘Delaide.

Launched on Thursday night by Kate Ellis, Federal Minister for Employment Participation, the exhibition features jewellery, painting, illustration, wall art, Indigenous art, fashion design, graphic design and photography created by local NEIS artisans.

Fittingly, the exhibition venue - Paper String Plastic - is owned and operated by a former NEIS participant.

Funded by the Australian Government, the NEIS program helps job seekers to successfully set up their own small businesses. Participants are trained in business management and helped to develop a business plan. They also receive a year of NEIS payments and are assigned a mentor for the first 12 months in business. Around 900 people participate in NEIS through Mission Australia every year in every state and territory.

Mission Australia’s South Australian NEIS Manager, Warren Silverston, said that Simply ‘Delaide aims to display the breadth of small businesses established by NEIS graduates and to celebrate their success.

“Most people, when they think of successful small businesses, they don’t automatically think of someone in the creative arts – jewellery designers, photographers, fashion designers, musicians, animators. But this showcase is about changing those perceptions,” Mr Silverston said.

“There’s no reason people with a creative gift can’t learn the attributes of managing a successful small business and turn their passion into a livelihood.

“All the exhibitors at this showcase are uniquely talented. Mission Australia’s role – and the role of NEIS – was to provide the support, guidance and expertise to assist them to make a go of it and channel their talent in a targeted and professional way.

“The creative arts sector adds millions of dollars to the Australian economy every year and employs thousands of people. We’re confident our NEIS graduates will be active participants in that contribution and go on to have very successful careers.”

Simply ‘Delaide’ is on show at Paper String Plastic, 99A Hindley Street, Adelaide, until 28 December.

Above photo from left: Prins Ralston, Mission Australia Executive Leader - Employment Solutions; with Kate Ellis, the Minister for Employment Participation; Rebecca Murdoch, Job Services Australia Contract Manager, and gallery co-owner Magdalena Tomaszewski.

Lee’s new enterprise

Two years ago, just walking to the letterbox was a huge challenge for Lee. She had spent five years suffering from brain lesions that caused MS-like symptoms such as blurred vision and fatigue.

“Some days I couldn’t walk, other days I couldn’t talk,” she said. “But I didn’t give up.”

When her illness went into remission in April 2009 it heralded a fresh start for the single mother of three.

“I turned 40 and decided to take a risk and do something with my life,” she said.

In August 2009 Lee started an eight-week New Enterprise Initiative Scheme (NEIS) Program through Mission Australia Employment Solutions. NEIS helps participants gain TAFE-level small business qualifications free of charge while receiving a government allowance.

After conducting market research, Lee identified a need for an eatery in Adelaide’s Modbury Heights that sold affordable, healthy food. With the help of one of our NEIS business mentors, Megan, she created a business plan and by December had opened the doors of Spud-a-licious.

Lee now employs her eldest daughter and is doing a great trade.

“NEIS gave me an overview of what I had to do,” Lee said. “It’s given me a new lease on life.”

Lee was recently nominated for the ‘NEIS Change’ award in the 2010 National NEIS Association Awards. This award recognises the achievements of an individual who has experienced the biggest turnaround in their life thanks to the NEIS program.

While Lee did not win this award, Mission Australia’s South Australian NEIS Manager, Warren Silverston, said the small business owner was certainly worthy of recognition.

“Lee has worked so hard to get her small business up and running. She’s faced some enormous obstacles in her life and to see her achieve success in her enterprise is terrific,” he said.

In 2009-10, 945 people took part in our NEIS programs. Of these, 700 started their own business.

Mission Australia client looks outside-the-square to build a path to success

After relocating to Adelaide from Melbourne three years ago, Madee River found that, after a few months of unemployment, he would need to think outside-the-square if he was going to be able to support himself.

He came across Mission Australia's New Enterprise Incentive Scheme and soon had the small business training, mentoring and relevant qualifications to help him develop a business plan that set him on the path to success.

The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) is a self-employment program funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR). NEIS has helped over 100,000 unemployed people since the early 1990s by helping them develop the skills and knowledge needed to start and manage their own business.

At the recent National NEIS Association Awards for Performance, Mr River achieved national recognition in the 'best growth business' category for his company Designer Muzik.

Mr River and his team now help businesses such as Novotel hotel group, Cibo and BMW build their branding through tailored music, advertising and promotional events

"My background is in the music industry and I certainly spent many months researching and planning my business proposition," said Mr River to the Adelaide Advertiser.

"But I am sure I would not be here now without Mission Australia NEIS support," said Mr River.

DesignerMuzik is set for further success, with plans for the business to expand into Sydney and international markets.

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To read more about NEIS, or apply see the links below...

• About the program
• Application information  

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