Business and community leaders attended the Ballarat and Western Region Leaders Forum on Wednesday to hear about how they could help unemployed people find a place in the workforce.

“We’ve had students come and speak about the programs that have made a difference to their lives, like the Equine and F1 learning programs, as well as broader issues,” said Leadership Ballarat executive officer Sofia Fiusco. 

“We’re looking at how these leaders can assist and support (young people) and have a broader impact on getting young people into work.” 

Ballarat Young Parents Program’s Simone McNeight spoke to the group about why it was important to give parents opportunities to get back into the workforce. 

“Getting back into education or training can be hard, so it’s good for people to hear how they can help,” she said. 

The Forge co-founder Tim Matthews said it was interesting to hear the other side of the issue, because he and his brother have trouble finding staff for their two pizzerias.

“We struggle to find people to engage in work, because they always see hospitality as a stopgap job. I’m open to any way to engage with job seekers better,” he said.

Ms Dunn also said the forum had been helpful overall in understanding Ballarat better. 

“It’s helping us connect individually, but also improving the way we’ll approach community issues,” Ms Dunn said.

alex.hamer@fairfaxmedia.com.au