The Job Effect
We’re building an Australia where every individual who wants a job can access one.
A job can
change every-thing
Work is more than a paycheck – it offers purpose, dignity, and connection. Yet too many people are shut out by barriers like disability, disadvantage, or mental health.
Jobs-focused social enterprises are doing it differently, creating workplaces that put these people first.
Their operating costs are higher, but, they deliver more – people stay employed, communities thrive, and our governments save.
That’s why we’re on a mission to mainstream these businesses.
What we do
Build
We build and strengthen jobs-focused social enterprises
Strengthen
We strengthen others.
Innovate
We lead innovative projects to seed system-change
Amplify
We collaborate, share and amplify what works
Our impact so far
Liz’s story: more than her past
“I’d been in prison for 17 years. As you can imagine, it was extremely hard for me to find a job.”
After leaving prison, Liz was unemployed for two and half years. She applied to countless jobs, but the stumbling block was always the police check.
Then she discovered Beacon Laundry – a social enterprise that employs people with complex barriers to work. She contacted them, shared her past, and got the job – because of her history, not in spite of it.
One year on, Liz is still there, working as a laundry operator, thriving in a place that employs people based on their potential, not their past. For Liz, Beacon isn’t just a job – it’s where she found the courage to forgive herself and regain her self-worth.
“The best thing Beacon has given me is the ability to forgive myself. After prison, you carry shame. I couldn’t look in the mirror. But
after a couple of months here, I realised I liked myself again. When you feel that, you show up differently – for your family, for
yourself.”
– Liz, Beacon Laundry.
Whitebox incubated social enterprises
Latest News
New data shows social enterprise delivers better outcomes for long-term unemployed.
New report backs social enterprises as key to long-term employment success for jobseekers with complex barriers.
From little things big things grow
New data reveals individuals earn more and stay employed longer in a social enterprise
Partner WIth Us
We love to collaborate. If you share in our belief that employment can change lives and the solution lies is jobs-focused social enterprise, get in touch.
Stay Connected
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