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.

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.

118

CareerTrackers internships hosted since 2010

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.

GO Foundation

In 2017, GHD entered into a partnership with the GO Foundation – established by former AFL players, Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin, to provide scholarships to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students. Since then, we have developed a bespoke partnership to raise awareness of STEM. In May 2021, we participated in a Mentoring Day in Adelaide, where high school students had the opportunity to engage in cultural activities, learn more about career paths, and broaden their perspectives (pictured below).

STEAM pathways for Indigenous students

We’ve partnered with the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) to launch the Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) Pathways Work Experience Program. Located inside the Richmond Football Club in Melbourne, the school provides Indigenous students from remote and regional communities with the opportunity to access some of the best educational experiences available in a major city.

Through this partnership, we will welcome students into our Melbourne office for a week of work experience in 2022. The students will be matched with a team that best suits their interest.

The goal of the work experience program is to give students exposure to a STEAM workplace in the hope that it will encourage more Indigenous students to complete school at the same rate as non-Indigenous students.

“I am passionate about protecting Indigenous culture, significant sites, traditions, and ancestral lands to preserve the longest living culture and my own cultural heritage.

As I develop further in the profession, I hope to use my qualifications and experience to ensure that culturally sensitive design is present and appropriately represented in every project I work on."

Azhrudin Coulthard Graduate Architect & Landscape Architect, GHDWoodhead