WAMMCO

WAMMCO (the Western Australian Meat Marketing Co-Operative) has been recognised as one of the three best employers in the country for  their dedication to providing employment to people having difficulty obtaining full-time work.

The Katanning-based co-operative was announced as one of three finalists for the prestigious Champion Employer of the Year award in the National Employment Services Awards for Excellence this week.

WAMMCO employ more than 140 former Job Network job seekers, who have been working for the company for between one month and seven years.

The company was shortlisted for the national award for showing outstanding commitment to local jobseekers and the community through their programs and initiatives that improve the job readiness of job seekers while easing them into employment.

WAMMCO provide pre-employment training for people with little or no recent work history, as well as a six-week induction “buddy” system and bus transport for employees. They also cater for the special needs of employees by giving single parents the option of working during school hours (known as the “Mother’s Shift”), paying junior workers an adult wage, and offering employees who seek further qualifications paid on-the-job Meat Industry Training, to Diploma level.

The company also demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting and supporting the Katanning community, and contribute $21 million into the local economy through wages and other purchases each year. Many of these purchases are a result of their “buy local” policy.

“We are locally owned and believe in the philosophy of “Buy Local” and its multiplier effect,” WAMMCO Management said in their statement for the NESA Awards.

“We support local events [and source] employees directly (as opposed to labour hire) to treat people as employees and to help them build a career.”

While WAMMCO is vying for the Champion Employer Award, three other National Employment Awards for Excellence will be presented. The Achiever of the Year Award will recognise former job seekers who have overcome extraordinary barriers to find full-time employment. The Employment Consultant of the Year and the Innovation and Service Excellence awards will honour the people who help these job seekers find work.

NESA* CEO, Sally Sinclair, said “Regardless of the outcome, the three Champion Employer finalists have demonstrated remarkable commitment to job seekers and to the Australian employment arena.”

WAMMCO management now have a nervous wait until the winners are announced at the gala awards dinner in Cairns on Thursday 14 August.