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COMPANY HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
IsaSKILLS has been established since 1989 and has developed steadily as a service provider
over the period. Formerly a Community Youth Support Scheme, the organisation
transformed into a Skillshare unit and a Disability Employment Service in the early Nineties
until about 1997. Since then isaSKILLS has been thrust into a world of submissions,
tenders, contracts and delivery protocols, that has changed the underlying way in which
service is delivered into a contracting style of operating.
The transition was made successfully, and since 1997 the organisation has grown from 5
staff to around 80. Most importantly, along with that has been the broadening of our range
of services and programs for clients and our increased presence in the region.
Quality Management systems were assumed by isaSKILLS at the 1997 mark to ensure the
organisation was subject to continuous improvement.
IsaSKILLS has developed credible flexibility as well to quickly adapt to new trends and
government policy changes that influence the manner in which funding is made available to
deliver employment and training services in remote areas.
IsaSKILLS now has six sites of delivery as indicated below. However, there are now many
services provided to communities within North West and Central West Queensland that are
in centres outside of where any isaSKILLS premises are established.
The Mount Isa Skills Association Inc. is an Association incorporated in the State of
Queensland, and is run by a board of skilled volunteers elected from the local community.
The Board employs a Chief Executive Officer and a number of line managers to manage and
oversee the operation and strategic direction of the organisation in consultation with senior
staff and with all board members. Elections for board members are held each year.
Primarily, isaSKILLS relies on funding from federal and state Government Departments. The
number of Departments providing funds has increased over the years since 1997. IsaSKILLS
acquires additional income through fee-for-service work, such as accredited and industrial
training, labour hire, and other miscellaneous non-core activities.
It is important to note that the association is a not-for-profit (NFP) charity, nor is it supporting directors or shareholders, in a financial manner. The association is not burdened
with having to financially support metropolitan administrations and is therefore able to
maximise the spending of funding on local unemployed people.
IsaSKILLS has been at the forefront of NFP's, delivering training, youth, and employment
services for some years now. IsaSKILLS has been well-endowed with qualifications, licenses
and delivery certificates. We have also concentrated staff development in three main areas -
accredited and industry training, Youth Services, and Employment Services. This has
developed the association to be a very attractive organisation for the myriad of programs
being requested for tender over the past few years. IsaSKILLS has been generally able to offer
a broader range of quality programs to unemployed people. This has been attractive to
government departments because of the seamless approach to assisting people into work.
IsaSKILLS management and staff have aimed to deliver high quality services and to fulfil all
contract obligations to the satisfaction of the funding bodies. The Quality framework, with
internal and external audits, continuous improvement and comprehensive policy and
procedures, has offered an economy of scale across all programs that has generated small but
valuable surpluses for recent years that have ensured the organisations ongoing viability.
The general influence that has interested funding bodies has been our capacity to deliver
outcomes for programs to the level or better that we originally set as targets, and to deliver
those services on a contract style basis that instils ongoing confidence in funding body
representatives, contract managers and project officers.
An additional offering that allows isaSKILLS to access different funding and supporting
funding is our flexibility in the nature and type of work that we can offer to deliver in the
areas of employment, training, youth work and project work.
All programs are geared towards assisting people to develop and grow personally and make
themselves more attractive within the labour market and to society.