Role
The purpose of the KESO position is to:
1.Work with education and family service providers, key stakeholders, and the Koorie Community to improve:
a)Early years participation
b)Student engagement and wellbeing
c)Retention and achievement
d)Access to higher education and further training pathways as well as interfacing with TAFE Koorie Liaison Officers and VAEAI Wurreker Brokers.
2.Work systemically with departments and agencies to improve outcomes for Koorie children and young people
3.Work with education providers to provide advice on the establishment of cultural inclusive learning environments
4.Provide advice to assist the coordination of services to support re-engagement of at-risk Koorie children and young people.
Responsibilities
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build constructive, professional relationships with a range of key stakeholders to work in partnership to improve engagement, wellbeing and achievement for Koorie children and young people.
- Facilitate improved access to universal and targeted educational services for Koorie families and communities.
- Negotiate with and influence key stakeholders to improve access to more culturally responsive educational services to ensure that services provide culturally appropriate programs.
- Establish and maintain partnerships with government departments, community agencies and local communities to promote the development of collaborative programs and initiatives related to improving achievements for Koorie children and young people.
- Facilitate local Koorie input into the delivery of culturally appropriate educational services.
- Support information sharing and follow-up between educational services and families about educational issues and local and regional priorities.
Expert Advice and Support
- Provide expert Koorie specific advice to a range of education services about culturally inclusive and appropriate strategies, and contribute to the regional responses to increase engagement, achievement, and wellbeing of Koorie children and young people.
- Access and analyse relevant quantitative and qualitative data, to provide strategic advice on the successful implementation of DE's Koorie education strategic priorities, including relevant regional and local place-based initiatives.
Program and Strategy Delivery
- Coordinate and implement initiatives for Koorie children and young people:
- Provide high level strategic advice to stakeholders in the facilitation of programs/services that deliver improved achievement for Koorie children and young people.
- Facilitate the implementation of local and regional strategies aimed at improving the capacity of educational services to deliver culturally inclusive and appropriate programs.
- Contribute to the provision and implementation of programs and initiatives aimed at improving Koorie engagement, achievement and wellbeing in a range of educational services
- Support the implementation and monitoring of targeted programs and strategies aimed at increasing engagement, wellbeing and achievement of Koorie children and young people.
Who May Apply
These roles are identified positions and are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants only. Confirmation of the Indigenous status of applicants may be requested.
EEO AND OHS Commitment
Applicants seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply for any teaching service position and, if they are the successful candidate, request a reduced time fraction. Such requests will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis and will be subject to the operational requirements of the school.
The Department of Education is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, and diversity and inclusion for all. We value diversity and inclusion in all forms - gender, religion, ethnicity, LGBTIQ+, disability and neurodiversity. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for roles within the Department. The Department recognises that the provision of family friendly, supportive, safe and harassment free workplaces is essential to high performance and promotes flexible work, diversity and safety across all schools and Department workplaces. It is our policy to provide reasonable adjustments for persons with a disability (see ).
Additional support and advice on the recruitment process is available to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders from the Koorie Outcomes Division (KOD) via
Child Safe Standards
Victorian government schools are child safe environments. Our schools actively promote the safety and wellbeing of all students, and all school staff are committed to protecting students from abuse or harm in the school environment, in accordance with their legal obligations including child safe standards. All schools have a Child Safety Code of Conduct consistent with the department's exemplar available at:
DE Values
The department's employees commit to upholding the department's Values: Responsiveness, Integrity, Impartiality, Accountability, Respect, Leadership and Human Rights. The department's Values complement each school's own values and underpin the behaviours the community expects of Victorian public sector employees, including those who work in Victorian Government Schools. Information on the department values is available at:
Other Information
Current Valid Working With Children Check
The Department of Education is committed to taking positive action to eliminate discrimination to the greatest possible extent. It recognises that discrimination can cause social and economic disadvantage, and the achievement of substantive equality may require the taking of special measures. To this end, the Department of Education considers these positions to be a special measure for the purposes of section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic).
In this role, the successful candidate will be required to travel extensively across the Ovens Murray Area, with a specific focus on the Benalla, Mansfield, and Wangaratta Local Government Areas (LGAs). This travel is vital to effectively engage with and support multiple school communities and Koorie families across these Area¿s within our Region. The base office for this position can either be at the Wodonga or Benalla office, but given the travel requirements, the candidate should be prepared for regular commutes. To facilitate this, they will have access to fleet vehicles located at our offices.
Conditions of Employment
1. All staff employed by the Department and schools have access to a broad range of employment conditions and working arrangements.
2. Appointment of successful applicants will be made subject to a satisfactory pre-employment conditions check.
3. A probationary period may apply during the first year of employment and induction and support programs provided.
4. Detailed information on all terms and conditions of employment is available on the Department's Human Resources website at
Location Profile
The KESO role supports the Department of Education (DE) priorities in Early Years, schools and the strategic priorities set by the Council of Australia Governments (COAG), the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework (VAAF) and Closing the Gap initiatives.
The Victorian Government is establishing Victoria as the Education State. The vision for the Education State is about educational excellence, equity and the opportunity to engage in lifelong learning.
The Education State: Schools agenda sets out the government¿s plans to reach a set of ambitious but achievable system-wide targets
- Learning for life; Happy, healthy and resilient kids; Breaking the link; Pride and confidence in our schools.
The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO) has been developed to assist schools to focus on key strategies that are known to have the greatest impact on school improvement and support the achievement of the targets. These include: Positive climate for learning; Excellence in teaching and learning; Professional leadership; Community engagement in learning.
A new regional structure, Learning Places, was implemented in March 2016. It establishes 17 Education Areas within the existing four Departmental regions to be the primary point of contact on a day-to-day basis for services. Additional executive and VPS staff in the regions facilitate the creation of multi-disciplinary, dedicated teams within these areas. This stronger, more place-based system of support, coupled with more effective application of new and existing resources, allows our regions to better undertake their role and meet the needs of all children and their families.Each region also includes two Divisions - Early Childhood and School Support Division, and School Improvement Division.