Community Workforce Solutions

Our History

Community Workforce Solutions (CWS) is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to create employment, training and personal development opportunities.

CWS is an activity of Queensland Baptist Care. The organisation began in 1996 and since then, hundreds of people have participated in CWS’ employment and training programs.

Our Mission

To create employment, training and personal development opportunities for people in the southern Brisbane region.

Our Approach

We offer personalised career and employment services that cater for your individual needs.

We pride ourselves on being flexible in the way we deliver our services because we want to give you all the support you need to achieve your career goals.

Our Goals

1. Employment – Help people find either the job they want or one that will be a step towards their vocational preference.Objectives:
   1. prepare participants for the world of work.
   2. provide participants with work experience.
   3. assist participants to find jobs.

2. Training – Facilitate the training of participants in a range of areas that best suits their career objectives.Objectives:
   1. provide training through Community Workforce Solutions’ community service and employment programs that are of value to participants in terms of their long-term career objectives and allow them to safely and competently achieve their required tasks.
   2. provide training for participants.
   3. develop cooperative relationships with training organisations, which may provide training at little or no cost.
   4. purchase training for participants or refer participants to appropriate training providers.
   5. stimulate participants to want to learn and become better equipped for the job market.

3. Skills Development – Design and implement a range of activity options that encourage participants to step beyond their confidence levels and accept new challenges.Objectives:
   1. increase the knowledge and skills of participants.
   2. train participants in ‘life’ skills such as relating to others, conflict resolution, budgeting and self-care.
   3. help participants to develop self-confidence in their abilities and decision-making ability.

4. Value Adding – Determine individual needs of participants in areas not covered in other training processes and set in motion a holistic approach to their development.Objectives:
   1. take people out of their social sub-system to learn new approaches to life.
   2. provide opportunities to participants, which they have not previously had.
   3. create interest and initiative in participants.
   4. challenge participants to grow, change and hope.
   5. develop a sense of worth in participants.
   6. encourage in participants a sense of fun.
   7. provide opportunities for social interaction.
   8. assist participants in dealing with their personal issues.
   9. provide a referral service for personal counselling.
   10. assist participants to achieve health and well-being.

5. Community Responsibility – Cement the position of Community Workforce Solutions in the community as a recognised and valuable contributor to community life.Objectives:
   1. be a good corporate citizen.
   2. ensure that Community Workforce Solutions develops its own definition in the community.
   3. convey that Community Workforce Solutions is here for the long-term.
   4. demonstrate a social concern for people in need in the community.
   5. link participants’ labour to community projects.
   6. set an example in caring of the environment and training people to look after it.
   7. provide cultural education.

6. Innovation – Demonstrate initiative and innovation in services to clientele and where appropriate develop new models of delivery.Objectives:
   1. document observations and make connections with the findings in the literature or propose different conclusions.
   2. be open and receptive to new approaches with a view to trying new ideas, being experimental and doing things differently.
   3. remain up-to-date in understanding of labour market and related programs and continuously expand knowledge in this area through contact with a wide range of agencies.

7. Enterprise – Provide measures that will ensure both the long-term viability of Community Workforce Solutions and the self-employment objectives of participants.Objectives:
   1. demonstrate initiative in program planning.
   2. provide funding and other support for participants who demonstrate a need, have developed a plan to meet that need and have a commitment to achieving that plan.
   3. generate support in the church community for work initiatives of participants.

8. Quality Assurance – Put in place policies, practices, procedures and benchmarks that will ensure the highest standards of performance by staff and in services to clients.Objectives:
   1. have systems and procedures in place that will ensure an efficient, effective and economic operation.
   2. progressively develop every appearance of quality in the physical environment.
   3. pursue and ethos of continuous improvement, aim for quality performance in all activities and do progressively better in whatever we do.
   4. provide on-going training for staff.