A range of data and evidence, including firsthand knowledge of the community, supports Community Investment Committees (CICs) to decide what action they take to strengthen local youth employment.
A one-stop-shop for communities to find data about their local area
Using publicly available data from government sources like the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Jobs and Skills Australia and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research can provide another layer of insight into what is happening in their community. To make it easier for CICs to access this data, over the last two years researchers at BSL – with funding from the Macquarie Group Foundation – have worked with NYEB partners to co-develop a customised data dashboard called a ‘Youth Opportunity Compass’ (the Compass) for each NYEB site.
Bringing together data and knowledge for understanding
One goal of this work is to combine the deep knowledge CIC members have about their communities with statistical data about how young people live, learn and work in their communities. Combining local and system data helps to create a tool that is uniquely representative of each community.
Once each CIC had co-developed their Compass and were using it, the next opportunity was to choose a topic of local importance to highlight in the Compass alongside the statistical data. Embedding this local knowledge and expertise involved co-design sessions with CIC members to hear their insights on what opportunities they wanted to highlight in the local region. CIC members have told the Compass team that this process has lead to some robust discussions about how data and evidence can guide their actions – and they’ve found it to be incredibly valuable.
We spoke with Greater Darwin CIC Coordinator, Tania Weinert, and Logan-Beaudesert CIC Lead Coordinator, Cherie Massey, about their thoughts on this process and their ambitions for the Compass in their region.
Using the Compass for the greater good in Greater Darwin
In the NT, the Compass is structured to highlight the distinct regions within Darwin and its surrounding areas. Information is broken down based on these regions and, coupled with local knowledge, highlights the unique needs of young people across Darwin. For example, understanding that where young people live, where opportunities are located, and public transport access do not match up for young people seeking employment.
CIC Chair Tania Weinert reflected “By embedding local knowledge, the Compass bridges the gap between data and real-world application, enabling it to deliver tailored recommendations that are both practical and actionable for the region.” The Compass’ innovative approach was recognised at the 2024 NT Digital Excellence Awards – the Darwin project shortlisted in The Community Benefit category! Tania said that the CIC has a vision for the Compass to support “future programs, tender processes and grant applications, as well as to develop the next iteration of the Skilling Young People for Work program (2.0).“
The low-down on Logan-Beaudesert
Cherie Massey said the conversations with other members of her CIC reiterated for me what a multicultural region we live in and the importance of being inclusive for all young people across our area in the conversations that we are having.” The discussion about how to embed local knowledge into the Logan-Beaudesert Compass continues, and we can already see how of CIC members’ insights are already influencing the design of the Compass with specific types of data and exciting links to current and future CIC actions. For example, the inclusion of information on transport and reasons why young people are leaving school early. This data is guiding the new transport action group’s work in identifying priority areas for future action. Meanwhile, work the CIC is already doing – like changing the way jobs expos are run in health and community services sector – is backed up by data they find on the Compass showing thatthis is a growth employment area in the region.
It has been exciting to work closely with Tania and Cherie as they guide and become champions for the Compass work.
If you would like more information about the Compass project, please contact Kat Hart (katrina.hart@bsl.org.au)
