Indigenous
At GHD, we’re proud to have maintained a strong connection to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities since our foundations more than 90 years ago. Our Indigenous Services Team leads our Indigenous focus areas outlined below: – Employment and career development – Indigenous procurement – Cultural awareness – Projects and tenders Internal Indigenous Network We established an internal Indigenous Network in 2018, designed to create a culturally safe space where our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees can connect and share their experiences. Today, we have a growing network of 63 members. Cultural Leave Policy We introduced an Indigenous Cultural Leave Policy in August 2021 to help enable our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees meet cultural obligations such as Sorry Business or events for NAIDOC Week, for example. The policy provides part-time and full-time employees an additional two days of paid leave each year. Cultural awareness training In early 2021 we launched a new national online cultural awareness training program with Corporate Culcha. The self-paced interactive course focuses on raising awareness, knowledge and understanding of the rich culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The course allows participants to build a foundational level of knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture which they can build upon by attending face-to-face cultural awareness training. In September 2021, 34 percent of our Australian employees had completed this training. Our RAP outlines our completion rate target of 70 percent by December 2022.
CareerTrackers In 2015, we were one of the first organisations to become a 10x10 partner with CareerTrackers, with a commitment to an intake of 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interns annually for 10 years. The program facilitates internship positions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and sets a pathway for ongoing employment in our Graduate Development Program. Students are supported through advisors and a professional development program. Since 2010 we have hosted 118 internships, and will welcome another 19 students in summer 2021/22, exceeding our annual commitment.
118
CareerTrackers internships hosted since 2010
National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week To help celebrate NRW our people participated in a wide variety of virtual and face-to-face events such as morning teas, movie screenings and presentations hosted by Indigenous suppliers and community organisations. During NAIDOC Week we continued our support for Clothing the Gap, and our people participated it its Heal Country run/walk event. The Heal Country run/walk provided a great opportunity for our people to actively learn about the Country they were on. Exploring the economic dimensions of reconciliation How is Indigenous economic empowerment progressing? Why is supporting Indigenous businesses through procurement important? In this article GHD's Andrew Olsen shares his perspectives on the economic aspects of reconciliation in Australia.
Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan In October 2021, we launched a new Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which refreshes our vision for reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia and establishes more ambitious and specific actions needed to achieve this vision. More than 900 clients and GHD people joined us for the virtual launch event. Our new RAP focuses on the following areas: – – – – –
Cultural Safety Indigenous Employment Recruitment and Retention Partnerships Indigenous Procurement
→ View our Innovate RAP here.
