The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has released its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Workforce Strategy 2018-2020 on Tuesday 29 May as a blueprint towards a more inclusive work environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees across the University. This week also celebrates National Reconciliation Week, which highlights aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, histories, cultures and achievements.

USQ Vice Chancellor Professor Geraldine Mackenzie says she is proud to support the strategy. “This document builds on our experiences, drawing on best practice in other parts of the higher education sector, and was developed in consultation with a range of partners and most importantly, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community,” says Professor Mackenzie. “We’re setting ambitious individual growth targets for key employee cohorts reflective of USQ’s overall workforce profile across employment classification group, mode, level, discipline and location.”

USQ developed its first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Development and Employment Strategy in 2006, and through this long-term, strategic approach, continued to revise objectives in line with the changing needs of its workforce. Key goals of the 2018-2020 strategy include enhancing cultural sensitivity, safety and inclusion to enable genuine engagement, as well as expanding employment and career pathway opportunities that embrace a contemporary “grow your own” approach. “We want to facilitate and encourage the direct involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in determining their strategies and goals, in accordance with their own aspirations,” says Professor Mackenzie. “This Strategy acknowledges the wealth of cultural knowledge and perspectives, skills and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the value created when these perspectives are included in all facets of the University.”

The USQ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Workforce Strategy 2018-2020 aligns with the University’s other key plans and strategies, including the USQ Enterprise Agreement, Employment Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, the Reconciliation Action Plan, USQ Workforce and Talent Management Plan and Social Justice Strategic Plan.

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