New Cherbourg contact centre provides opportunity for locals

Published: 23rd August 2022

The opening of the new contact centre in Cherbourg

The opening of the new contact centre in Cherbourg

Work has officially begun at Cherbourg’s trailblazing new community call centre that was opened in April—the first call centre in a First Nations community in the country.

The centre employs 10 local people—with the potential to employ more according to Mayor Elvie Sandow—who will gain valuable training and digital skills providing IT support to people living in regional and rural Queensland.

Located at the TAFE Queensland Nurunderi Campus in Cherbourg, staff will work towards obtaining Certificate III qualifications as well as on-the-job training.

Cherbourg local Taylah Stanley works at the contact centre

Cherbourg local Taylah Stanley works at the contact centre

Mayor Sandow said the call centre is a tremendous achievement for Cherbourg and will allow people to work on country.

“It will provide local people with the digital experience and career opportunities that many others have,” she said.

“And it’s owned and operated by the community – the benefits stay right here.”

“Cherbourg Council is proud to work with the Department of Tourism, Innovation and Sport’s Advance Queensland Deadly Innovation team, TAFE Queensland and Fujitsu to offer our people real opportunity and work.”

The foundation customer for the centre is Fujitsu, which will direct all of its password reset jobs to the centre in the first instance.

As staff get more training, the centre will take on more complex IT jobs for Fujitsu and assist them with banking, insurance and government services.

Local Iris-Jean Blow is a local employed in Cherbourg’s new centre

Iris-Jean Blow is a local employed in Cherbourg’s new centre

Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand’s Head of Office of Purpose Nicole Forrester told Burnett Today, “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, including those in Cherbourg, have continued to demonstrate unmatched strength and resilience, and it’s time this value is recognised by corporate Australia.

“We’re immensely proud to collaborate with the Cherbourg Council and community to support them as they take hold of theirfuture and leverage the industry-wide digital transformation brought on by COVID-19.

“As a place-based inclusion model, this pilot maps a new way forward for how corporate Australia and government can work in collaboration with First Nations communities to develop capability building initiatives, work towards reconciliation and create social impact through digital inclusion.”

LGAQ President and Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson, who attended the opening of the centre, said the centre will make a difference to the lives of so many people – not only those who enjoy the jobs, but those who are on the other end of the line with whatever their problem might be.