19 December 2011 – A new Language and Literacy program conducted by Jobfind Centres Australia is showing great results towards improving the literacy rates of people in the remote Indigenous community of Pormpuraaw.

English is a second language for most of the Indigenous Australians who live in the remote Cape York community of Pormpuraaw in far-north Queensland. So it’s not surprising that at present only around 20 per cent of Pormpuraaw residents are literate in English and able to perform basic tasks that many of us take for granted such as reading road signs or telling the time.

In mid-October of this year, Jobfind’s Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) operations in Pormpuraaw began a 36-part Reading, Writing and Spelling program among two groups of men and one group of women in the remote community. Following a successful trial in 2010, Jobfind chose to base their program on a phonics-based approach called “The Sound Way”.

Funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), the nationally accredited Certificate II course is delivered to students via a series of instructional DVDs and workbooks, and takes advantage of the fact that 93 per cent of English words use the simple rules of phonics and English spelling.

The attendance rate across all three groups has been greater than expected, proving that the program is effectively engaging its participants and ensuring that they can see the value in completing it. All groups are responding well to the content and pace of the course, with the women due to complete all of the required lessons by early February 2012 and the men shortly after in mid-March.

“Jobfind is serious about closing the gap and improving the lives of Australia’s Indigenous people - and a vital part of that process is improving literacy rates”, said Simon Rodgers, Jobfind’s General Manager of CDEP Operations. “In addition to gaining vital life-skills and increasing their employability, the program is also helping its participants to gain greater levels of confidence and self-worth.”

Above: Some participants in the Pormpuraaw literacy training program

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NOTES TO EDITORS: About Jobfind Centres Australia Pty Ltd

Jobfind is a division of the Angus Knight group of companies, an Australian-owned organisation with a proven, decade-long record of providing quality employment and training services. A provider of the Australian Government’s Job Services Australia, Jobfind has placed almost half a million people into jobs since its inception. For more information on Jobfind and the Angus Knight Group, please visit www.jobfindcentre.com.au