For the 12th year running, employees from Ventia headed out to a footy field in Adelaide in the week leading up to National Reconciliation Week to support the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup.
The Santos Aboriginal Power Cup is an education-based strategy that engages First Nations secondary school students in their education and career pathways - with a competitive AFL carnival as its centrepiece.
More than 500 kids were on the fields at Adelaide's Karen Rolton Oval on Thursday and Friday this week, with each school team wearing a guernsey designed by the students.
Indigenous Employment Manager Bessie Fredberg was there with a dozen other Ventia employees, cheering the kids on and talking to them about what it's like working for Ventia.
An ongoing sponsorship
Pictured: Bessie Fredberg (left) who has been supporting the Power Cup for 8 years.
Bessie has been involved in Ventia's sponsorship of this event for the past eight years, and says she is really proud of the role she and her colleagues play in this program.
One of the main reasons we're out here promoting Ventia is to show these kids the kind of jobs we can offer them when they're finished their schooling.
"But as Ventia grows our presence in South Australia, we can also help connect them with our huge subcontractor network, which is right across the state," Bessie explains.
Pictured: Ventia Team showing their support at the Santos Power Cup
Training, Recruitment, Employment, Care and Career Advancement
Bessie is part of the TRECCA team at Ventia, focused on Training, Recruitment, Employment, Care and Career Advancement of Indigenous men and women in Australia.
"We're passionate about the impact that the work we do can have on creating better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees," Bessie says.
Through the use of individual and systemic interventions, we hope to break employment barriers and create a culturally safe environment for them to work in, encouraging them to build a career here at Ventia.
Delivered in partnership with the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy (SAASTA), the program is designed to address National Closing the Gap targets aligned to health, wellbeing, education, employment and economic participation.
Community Programs Manager Braedon Talbot says the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup is the longest running joint education and AFL community program for Aboriginal students in the Australian professional sports industry.