“The Mission Engage program provides valuable tools and motivation for young people looking to gain skills and confidence to advance their life opportunities.”
Servicing 63 million people annually, Southern Cross Station is Melbourne’s primary transport hub. Managed by Asset Co, it is an interchange for buses, rail, coaches, taxis and trams, in addition to housing retail outlets, and food and beverage establishments.
How Southern Cross is involved
Like many businesses supporting Mission Engage, Southern Cross Station reflects their social governance values through their involvement in the program. They offer participants behind-the-scenes access to this impressive transport hub while providing a workplace insight into the culture, professionalism, and varied roles of their staff.
What Southern Cross finds valuable
Social values
Southern Cross Station and Asset Co have deeply entrenched values of giving back to the community that they service daily. Partnering with the Father James Grant Foundation allows them to demonstrate their community involvement and social ethos on a minor and major scale. They share their workplace and values with participants while also illustrating to other stakeholders their culture of giving back.
“Our participation evidences our ‘social governance ethos’. It also provides senior management with the chance to interact with Mission Engage participants.”
Sharing an insight into workplace culture
With varied staff roles and a large workforce, Southern Cross Station and Asset Co relish the opportunity to provide an insight into the calibre, expertise and professionalism of their staff. They note it provides Mission Engage participants with an insight into varied careers available along with the motivation and know-how to enjoy them.
Reputation and Exposure
Working with the Father James Foundation is a two-way street. Our Mission Engage participants gain critical workplace skills and exposure, while business enjoys the benefits of publicity and a positive “socially aware” reputation.
Or as Southern Cross explains: “Participation enhances our ‘reputation’ with key stakeholders and is also seen as a ‘value add’ to our contracted services to the state. For many businesses, these social governance values, reputation benefits and the general participation would be viewed favourably.”
Personal reward
But it’s not just Mission Engage participants and the greater business reputation that benefit from being involved. Like all businesses participating in the program, Southern Cross notes taking part is genuinely rewarding on a personal level for their staff.
About Mission Engage
Each Mission Engage program runs for four weeks and is tailored to suit the businesses involved. It encompasses:
- Practical skills to improve professional behaviour, time management and organisational ability
- Physical activities to build confidence and pride in capabilities and appearance.
- Psychological support to develop positive mental health, resilience and emotional intelligence.
- Workplace experience, gaining insights into workplaces, culture and expectations.
- Mentoring to experience ‘real life’, building positive role models and networks.
Since its inception more than two years ago, Mission Engage has assisted hundreds of young people to find valuable employment at a time when youth unemployment is at its highest in years.
How you can be involved
The Father James Grant Foundation has two levels of sponsorship available to business:
- Via workplace experience and onsite training.
- Through financial sponsorship or our programs.
To learn more about Mission Engage, see here, or contact us directly to be part of the youth employment solution.
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