MIGAS Celebrates Launch of Reconciliation Action Plan

MIGAS Apprentices and Trainees has today launched its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), strengthening its commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The launch was held in front of staff, apprentices, clients and local Indigenous people, with ‘Welcome to Country’ performed by Songwoman Maroochy.

Guests were also treated to a didgeridoo performance from Wayne Krause, 2 Year Civil Construction Trainee including an insightful speech about his personal journey. 

MIGAS CEO, Craig Westwood, said it was a proud day for MIGAS, which has worked for more than 30 years providing employment, training and mentoring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander apprentices and trainees across Australia.

“MIGAS has a long and proud history of advocating for employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians. We currently employ 52 Indigenous apprentices and trainees and since 2013, some 242 Indigenous Australians have been supported and mentored into their chosen trade at MIGAS,” Mr Westwood said.

“It is this reason that this new plan is so important to all of us at MIGAS. Reconciliation is much more than a word; it is a culture and it is a culture that is respectively evolving and being nurtured at MIGAS.

“It is our ambition to become an employer of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.”

The ‘reflect RAP’ outlines the actions MIGAS is taking on its journey toward achieving reconciliation and strengthening its already strong relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

“As an organisation committed to fairness, diversity, equity, safety and advancing employment outcomes, the RAP lays a platform for us to engage our staff, stakeholders and community in working toward meaningful reconciliation,” Mr Westwood said.

The RAP will help inform and drive MIGAS’s existing initiatives, such as the Scholarship program, HeadStart Program and Indigenous mentoring initiatives, and provide new opportunities for collaboration with MIGAS’s large client base of like-minded organisations in Australia.

“We have a plan that not only puts the power of education and employment to work to improve the opportunities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, but instils in everyone the richness and vibrancy of Indigenous culture and history,” Mr Westwood said.

MIGAS has been working on the RAP for 12 months and it is supported and endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

The RAP provides a framework for social change and will focus on advancing the spirit of reconciliation through practical plans of action driven by three core areas: Relationships, Respect and Opportunities.