Volunteering Central West launched the Golden Gurus program on Tuesday 23 March at the Bathurst RSL Club. The program, an initiative of the Australia 2020 summit, aims to harness the skills and experience of Australians aged 50 years and over, by connecting them with a variety of volunteering and mentoring opportunities with community organisations and local small businesses.
Ruth MacNeill, a Golden Guru with Volunteering Central West encouraged potential Golden Gurus to consider sharing their expertise and experience with community organisations and small businesses.
The current economic climate, changing workforce demographics, skills shortages and other pressures have all had an impact on Australian workplaces.
By attracting mature age volunteers with their wealth of experience, the Golden Gurus program aims to help meet future skills needs, address current skill shortages and respond to the challenges of an ageing workforce.
The program was officially launched by the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens, in December last year
“Golden Gurus is a fantastic program that brings together a diverse range of quality organisations which link the experience and expertise of mature age mentors with
start- up businesses and community organisations,” Senator Stephens said.
“I congratulate Volunteering Central West on taking the initiative to join the Golden Gurus program and recognise the valuable contribution of their volunteers to the community.”
Through Golden Gurus, mature age Australians will have the opportunity to meet new people, develop social networks and access free training.
If you are a community organisation or a small business, a Golden Guru can help you identify opportunities for improvement, help with networking, help you find information about government and non-government services and help identify areas for development, skills improvement and training.
If you are located in the Central West please contact Volunteering Central West on 02 6332 4866 to find out more.
(L-R) Brian Kelly, DEEWR Orange office, Ruth MacNeill, Golden Guru and Alison Charters, Volunteering Central West Bathurst Information and Neighbourhood Centre.