Serco’s social procurement partnership with Wirrigan Business Services is making great strides in providing education and employment for First Nations Women.
The partnership recently grew to support the Real Futures life-changing program – the Women’s Business Second Chance (WBSC) Hub.
Real Futures is certified by Supply Nation as a majority Aboriginal-owned, controlled and managed company.
The Women’s Business Second Chance (WBSC) Hub aims to ensure that First Nations women who are at risk of being left behind have access to participate in and achieve quality learning, entrepreneurship and employment outcomes through educational and vocational training.
Since January 2021, it has assisted 555 women across 73 education and business courses. More than 200 women have gained employment and 23 women have started their own businesses. 66 per cent of the participants in the Real Futures WBSC Hub were under 34 and a total of 289 women across all ages completed life skills courses to support building confidence to reengage with education and employment.
Pictured: Serco General Manager of Facilities Management, Ben; Wirrigan Business Services General Manager, Colin Kerr; Serco Villawood Immigration
Centre Manager, Don; Wirrigan Business Services Founder, John McNamara; and Serco Procurement Business Partner, Lucy Mason. Source: Serco.
Serco has partnered with Wirrigan Business Services since 2020 for the supply of scrubs and polo shirts to our Australian Defence Health Services contract. Last year, the scope broadened to include waste services.
The waste services contract will see Serco spend almost one million dollars annually with Wirrigan Business Services, and will have a strong environmental impact through improvements to how waste streams, recycling and reporting is managed.
Serco’s Social Procurement initiative has also allowed Wirrigan Business Services to be appointed as its service provider for office supplies across the business.
Wirrigan Business Services General Manager Colin Kerr said profit from the services Wirrigan provide to businesses is generated to help First Nations women overcome economic and social challenges.
“We know that many First Nations women have been marginalised from economic and social inclusion through circumstance and stereotype,” he said.
“The WBSC hub offers women, their families and local communities, access to customised educational, employment and support services which are tailored to their needs as learners and future learners.”
“Wirrigan Business Services is a 100 per cent Aboriginal-Owned business that was established to provide services to public and private sector originations such as Serco.”
“Through this partnership and Serco’s procurement, we are not only supporting the Real Futures WBSC Hub, but also plans for expansion into other states and regions.”
In line with Serco’s RAP commitments, Serco’s Asia Pacific Procurement team, together with operational stakeholders, actively seek ways to develop First
Nations supply chains to support the community and provide authentic social outcomes.
“As a team we began to focus on areas in our business that aligned with Wirrigan Business Services, which we could roll out on a larger scale within the business,” Serco Procurement Business Partner, Lucy Mason said.
“We wanted something that would not only generate and create a value for society but also efficiently service our contracts and commitment to our ESG outcomes.”
