Building the future of work integration social enterprise in the Capital Region

Seven profit-for-purpose businesses seeking to make a big impact in their local communities have been selected to participate in the 2021 GRIST program conducted by Canberra-based Mill House Ventures.

Work integration social enterprises (WISE) provide employment and pathways to employment for people who experience structural barriers to mainstream workforce participation. Offering real-world work settings combined with personalised development support and actively building relationships with other employers, WISE offer meaningful work and increase economic productivity, inclusion, and well-being for both individuals and communities.?

Mill House welcomes entrepreneurs working across a variety of social, cultural, economic or environmental impact areas. This year, all of the GRIST ventures applied to Mill House in order to explore how their business might act as a WISE in their local communities. We believe this consistent motivation across all successful applications this year is indicative of the significant labour market challenges in our region and the need for new innovative solutions. Current labour market challenges include significant levels of job seeker disengagement, with seventy-eight per cent of commenced job seekers being unemployed for more than 12 months, and 53 per cent of the Indigenous job seekers unemployed for more than two years*. These figures are disproportionately made up of young jobseekers (under age 25) and people living with disabilities or mental health conditions.

WISE is not a panacea for all disadvantaged job seekers. However, they can offer settings that blend employment, training, and social support to improve local jobs pathways, reduce barriers, and build job seekers' capacity to engage (or re-engage) with mainstream employment or training and education.

The Mill House flagship accelerator program, GRIST, annually offers facilitated learning support, including workshops, networking and expert panels, delivered by the Mill House team. This practitioner-led program, coupled with proven learning tools, assists GRISTers to accelerate their impact and identify business development and investment opportunities to scale their venture. The GRIST participants will receive intensive coaching to test and validate their business and impact model assumptions for three months.

This year’s changemaker cohort includes:

• Right To Work
• The Horse Rug Whisperer
• Bean Central Cafe
• Ability.News
• Next Level Inclusion
• Simply Homeschool
• Chamaeleon Collective.

Like every business trying to continue their operations in this constantly changing COVID world, the team at The Mill House have proven their adaptability in pivoting the program to an online environment without compromising the quality of the program. With the co-operation and commitment of our GRISTer’s, we look forward to maximising the impact of this impressive cohort of social innovators.

Check out the details of the 2021 cohort here:

About The Mill House Ventures

The Mill House works with businesses that seek to trade for purpose. Entrepreneurs that are passionate about solving problems in the community often face barriers to business education and investment. We exist to support their inclusion into the mainstream market.

The Mill House is grateful for the ongoing support of SERVICE ONE, a 100% customer-owned social enterprise bank, the University of Canberra and the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN).

If you are an entrepreneur or community leader operating in the Capital Region and NSW South Coast employment regions who wants to learn more about work integration social enterprise, we would like to speak with you! All Mill House consultations are free and confidential. www.millhouseventures.com.au

*source: Interim Local Jobs Plan, Capital Region Employment Region, Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.