A NEW not-for-profit social enterprise was launched in Pakenham this month.
Hopeworks Community Solutions would provide life training, job-seeking assistance, practical work experience, mentoring and employability skills to secondary school students, the unemployed and people with disabilities in a bid to secure employment.
The group is led by a credentialed vocational training team with more than two decades of combined industry experience.
Director Cher Spratt said the concept for Hopeworks was born while training dole clients at the 4Cs crises relief centre.
“They had expressed their need for help with the sorting and compiling of products to go in their hampers, and I wanted to give local secondary students and unemployed people work so they could gain employability skills,” she said.
“So at Hopeworks, the employees make products that are donated in hampers to crises relief centres like 4Cs Pakenham and Gippsland Christian Centre community care so that they can be distributed to the needy in the community.
“We have teamed up with local businesses and government agencies to purchase ingredients such as soap-making supplies, vegetables and food to make soap and food varieties like fried rice, pasta and soup.”
Participants also complete a Certificate 3 in food processing, Ms Spratt said.
Mayor Jodie Owen and deputy mayor Leticia Wilmot delivered speeches at the grand opening, which was attended by numerous community groups as well as Pakenham Secondary College, Officer Specialist School and Kambrya Secondary College.
“Hopeworks is an exciting new opportunity for those members of our community, who do not have the ability to get work, to seek training,” Cr Owen said.
