Generation Australia

Who we are

Generation Australia is a non-profit providing industry-led training, mentorship, wraparound services and job placement support to help disadvantaged job-seekers secure employment. At the same time, we support businesses to access high quality, motivated and diverse talent, and tackle social/economic issues like unemployment and skills shortages.

Generation Australia's mission is to transform education-to-employment systems to prepare, place, and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Through our program adults of all ages—whether unemployed, underemployed, or needing to learn new skills—can connect to the training, support, and jobs to change their path.

We solve a wide range of employer challenges—skilled talent shortages, on-the-job performance, reskilling needs, and high turnover in important roles—with our unique approach and our determined graduates.

The organisation is led by our Chief Executive Officer, Karena Newland.

What we do

We design, build and run holistic training & employment programs supporting people facing barriers to employment into thriving new careers. We exclusively support people who are unemployed, under-employed or at demonstrable risk of unemployment; including some of Australia's most vulnerable communities – disengaged youth, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people living with disabilities, women, parents returning to work and more.

Our programs are specifically designed to train people for roles in industries experiencing significant job demand. We currently offer programs in the care/human services and digital/technology sectors - including aged care, disability support, cloud computing, data analytics and more. All programs are designed in close collaboration and partnership with employers and industry experts so they meet the needs of the Australian job market.

Key features of a Generation Australia program include:

• Technical and soft skills training to help participants access a new entry-level career and be successful on the job
• Employability training to help participants put their best foot forward when applying for jobs; including CV writing, interview preparation and personal branding
• Mentorship and social support focused on resilience, wellbeing and career readiness; to help reduce and remove barriers to program completion, and set participants up for success inside and outside the classroom
• Wraparound services for those who need it, such as access to laptops/wi-fi or referrals to external services
• Job placement support including consults/personalised guidance on applying for roles and access to roles with Generation Australia employer partners

Since our establishment in 2019, we have supported over 1800 job-seekers through our programs, achieving a graduation rate of over 85% and NPS of 75+. Furthermore, over 70% of our graduates secure employment and over 80% are retained in employment 1 year later. More than 400 organisations have hired Generation graduates, including leading brands like Microsoft, Westpac, Woolworths, Accenture, AGL and more.

We also help build the capability of other education & training organisations (e.g., RTOs) through our Powered by Generation model, helping them access the benefits and learnings of the Generation methodology. We facilitate this through customised workshops, process & systems design, collaborative pilots and more.

We actively advocate for the transformation of hiring practices through reports/thought leadership, events and consulting/advisory services to businesses - with a specific focus on early careers talent, diverse profiles and hiring from non-traditional backgrounds.

We also collaborate with government agencies and other relevant stakeholders to inform innovations in employment policy and related areas