A small rural town in north-east Victoria is turning to social enterprises to create new jobs and prevent locals from having to leave in search of employment opportunities. The Upper Murrary Community Backer, which is launched in Corryong in 2015, and so far the program has helped many locals land full-time employment. Three years ago, the Corryong Neighbourhood Centre (CNC) established the town’s bakery and turned it into a social enterprise, with an aim to help build employment and to provide training opportunities in the town. The bakery has been very successful since it has built on sales by 21 percent over the past financial year and created 16 jobs for local people. The bakery is primarily intended to upskill its employees, helping people by encouraging them to take specific knowledge, before they create or join other local businesses. This was an opportunity for people to ‘come and stay home’, because a lot of local people had to leave their town in order to find chances of employment and earning money. This small rural town, resident of fewer than 2,000, is expecting for a growing sustainable regions that assist for the provision of learning and skills development for people, finding their way back to integration into the community.
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-12/social-enterprise-paying-off-for-regional-areas/10236884