Employment opportunity programs

Annual Report 2024-25

Employment opportunity programs

Program name	Performance
Apprenticeship Pilot Program	The 250 Apprenticeships Pilot Program aims to address skill shortages in the building and construction industry. Skill shortages can lead to increased labour costs and an inability to meet client demand. Apprenticeships provide an important entry point into developing new participants in the skilled trade workforce. As at 30 June 2025 there were 230 active participants in the program. During the course of the program 40 participants have completed their apprenticeships, including 14 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, 17 females and 26 social housing customers.
Employment Pathways Program	The Employment Pathways Program directly addresses the current and future skills needs of the housing industry. As part of Our Housing Future 2020-2030, the Trust is delivering up to 1,000 employment and training outcomes for social housing tenants, including those on the housing register and recipients of private rental assistance. In 2024-25 the Trust achieved 349 training and employment outcomes under the Employment Pathways Program, including 76 for social housing customers.
Graduate Employment	The Graduate Program provides entry-level employment pathways into the public service for university graduates from a broad range of courses and disciplines, through on the job and formal training and development. In 2024-25 the Trust employed four graduates under a two-year graduate contract.
Early Careers	The Trust maintains strategic relationships with tertiary education providers to facilitate an effective avenue for growing the workforce through increasing early careers opportunities. Examples include: Exploration of Aboriginal Trainee opportunities with MAS National and Aboriginal Engagement, Partnerships and Strategy Engagement with other Public Sector Agencies to build opportunities for current graduates to skill build and network Maintain relationships for future participation in employment expos and Meet the Employer events.

Agency performance management and development systems

Performance management and development system	Performance
The Trust has a Performance Development Plan (PDP) system that supports leaders and employees through a process of objective setting and development conversations across a bi-annual cycle	The current completion rate is 89.7%. A total of 661 employees successfully completed their PDP during Cycle 1 of 2025.

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Work health, safety and return to work programs

Program name	Performance
Health Safety and Wellbeing Governance	Seven Local Health Safety and Wellbeing Work Groups are in place. These work groups are comprised of leader and employee representatives and promote consultation and communication and encourage local ownership of health, safety and wellbeing matters. Each group has a Health and Safety Representative and a Wellbeing Champion who the Health Safety and Wellbeing unit communicates and shares information with through quarterly forums. Matters that are not resolved at the local level are escalated to the Health Safety and Wellbeing Committee for recommendation and / or resolution. This committee is chaired by the Executive Director People and Strategy and is held quarterly.
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Programs	Field safety, lone and remote working, customer uncivil behaviour, contractor safety and employee psychological health and wellbeing continue to be key focus areas for the Trust with the: Implementation of new processes that provide clear direction to employees on how to identify, report and manage hoarding and squalor in tenancies Review of HSW governance and consultative processes that now includes additional guidance on effective safety change management Review into the efficacy of the current lone worker safety monitoring application that employees use while conducting field activities, including consultation with users on potential improvements to the technology Review of power tools and equipment risk assessments and safe operating procedures that are used by maintenance and remote housing employees working in the field Analysis to identify potential enhancements to improve the recording of risk information and safety protocols for employees and contractors within Connect Evaluation of the achievements of initiatives and programs outlines in the Psychological Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-2025 with a focus on the development of a new 3-year strategy and action plan for 2026-2028. Employee Assistance Program We continued to promote our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their families to access counselling and support services. This is supplemented by a Critical Incident Response service. For the year 2024-25, a total of 180 EAP face-to-face or telephone counselling sessions were provided to employees (or their family members) supporting a range of work-related scenarios such as vicarious trauma or stress management, or personal issues including grief counselling or emotional and mental health issues. White Ribbon The Trust's Executive Leadership Team has officially signed the White Ribbon Operational Plan (2025–2030), reaffirming our commitment to preventing gendered abuse and advancing gender equality in the workplace. This plan outlines the initiatives we will undertake over the next five years to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all. As part of this ongoing effort, the Trust has reviewed and updated its Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Policy, Procedures, and Safety Plan to enhance accessibility and clarity for all employees. To proactively address risks, we introduced a Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Risk Assessment tool, designed to identify, mitigate, and prevent risks associated with domestic violence within the workplace. In addition, the updated Domestic and Family Violence Response Kit is available on the internal intranet and includes comprehensive resources and real-world scenarios to guide employees in appropriately responding to disclosures of domestic violence. Our commitment is also reflected on the Trust’s website, where we clearly state our zero-tolerance approach to violence and our dedication to the prevention of violence against women.
Training	Draw the line for Safety, Vicarious Trauma, MAYBO conflict resolution training and safety induction continues to be provided to leaders and employees in customer facing roles. There has also been a focus on building leader capability in identifying and responding to employee wellbeing concerns within their teams with the provision of Managing Wellbeing – Leader’s training.

Program name

Performance

Health Safety and Wellbeing Governance

Seven Local Health Safety and Wellbeing Work Groups are in place. These work groups are comprised of leader and employee representatives and promote consultation and communication and encourage local ownership of health, safety and wellbeing matters. Each group has a Health and Safety Representative and a Wellbeing Champion who the Health Safety and Wellbeing unit communicates and shares information with through quarterly forums.

Matters that are not resolved at the local level are escalated to the Health Safety and Wellbeing Committee for recommendation and / or resolution. This committee is chaired by the Executive Director People and Strategy and is held quarterly.

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Programs

Field safety, lone and remote working, customer uncivil behaviour, contractor safety and employee psychological health and wellbeing continue to be key focus areas for the Trust with the:

Implementation of new processes that provide clear direction to employees on how to identify, report and manage hoarding and squalor in tenancies
Review of HSW governance and consultative processes that now includes additional guidance on effective safety change management
Review into the efficacy of the current lone worker safety monitoring application that employees use while conducting field activities, including consultation with users on potential improvements to the technology
Review of power tools and equipment risk assessments and safe operating procedures that are used by maintenance and remote housing employees working in the field
Analysis to identify potential enhancements to improve the recording of risk information and safety protocols for employees and contractors within Connect
Evaluation of the achievements of initiatives and programs outlines in the Psychological Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023-2025 with a focus on the development of a new 3-year strategy and action plan for 2026-2028.

Employee Assistance Program

We continued to promote our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their families to access counselling and support services.

This is supplemented by a Critical Incident Response service. For the year 2024-25, a total of 180 EAP face-to-face or telephone counselling sessions were provided to employees (or their family members) supporting a range of work-related scenarios such as vicarious trauma or stress management, or personal issues including grief counselling or emotional and mental health issues.

White Ribbon

The Trust's Executive Leadership Team has officially signed the White Ribbon Operational Plan (2025–2030), reaffirming our commitment to preventing gendered abuse and advancing gender equality in the workplace. This plan outlines the initiatives we will undertake over the next five years to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all.

As part of this ongoing effort, the Trust has reviewed and updated its Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Policy, Procedures, and Safety Plan to enhance accessibility and clarity for all employees. To proactively address risks, we introduced a Workplace Domestic and Family Violence Risk Assessment tool, designed to identify, mitigate, and prevent risks associated with domestic violence within the workplace.

In addition, the updated Domestic and Family Violence Response Kit is available on the internal intranet and includes comprehensive resources and real-world scenarios to guide employees in appropriately responding to disclosures of domestic violence.

Our commitment is also reflected on the Trust’s website, where we clearly state our zero-tolerance approach to violence and our dedication to the prevention of violence against women.

Training

Draw the line for Safety, Vicarious Trauma, MAYBO conflict resolution training and safety induction continues to be provided to leaders and employees in customer facing roles.

There has also been a focus on building leader capability in identifying and responding to employee wellbeing concerns within their teams with the provision of Managing Wellbeing – Leader’s training.

* number of claimants ............... FOOTNOTE LOCATION IN CONTENT?

Work health and safety regulations	Current year 2024-25	Past year 2023-24	% Change (+ / -)
Number of notifiable incidents (Work Health and Safety Act 2012, Part 3)	6	6	-17%
Number of provisional improvement, improvement and prohibition notices (Work Health and Safety Act 2012 Sections 90, 191 and 195)	0	0	0%

Return to work costs **	Current year 2024-25	Past year 2023-24	% Change (+ / -)
Total gross workers compensation expenditure ($)	905,064	888,758	+2%
Income support payments – gross ($)	341,833	368,081	-7%

^** before third-party recovery

Data for previous years is available at: www.data.sa.gov.au/data/south australian housing trust annual report-work health and safety and return to work

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