By MEGAN OGLE
A LOCAL business owner is tackling youth unemployment with good old-fashioned community spirit, one fence-post at a time.
C & E Fencing and Transport owner Evan Bell has so far helped eight local youths into employment by giving the lads a fair-go and utilising his local community to keep them in the workforce.
Mr Bell said he takes on youth looking for work and gives them an opportunity to show what they’re made of.
If the boys aren’t suitable for fencing work, Mr Bell said he is able to use his local networks to find a job that is more suitable for their skills and can even provide a reference for the worker.
“I can say he will work hard, he’ll take direction, he can handle getting yelled at or whatever it be, he’s old school, he can work,” Mr Bell said.
Mr Bell recently helped one local youth into a permanent job with a friend’s business and is currently helping employee David Costin begin his dream of becoming a diesel fitter by sourcing a traineeship through an acquaintance.
Mr Costin, who has been working with Mr Bell for more than 12 months, said he was grateful for the opportunities his employment has given him and would be leading a different life if it wasn’t for Mr Bell’s generosity.
“I would still be looking for work or doing something I don’t love doing.
“I honestly love doing this work and I love the hard work but I think I would still be on Centrelink looking for work.
“There’s no work on the Coast unless you know the right people to talk to,” Mr Costin said.
But Mr Bell said giving young lads a chance at work not only benefited the boys and his business but also the local community.
“The Aussie spirit is to work, that’s the only thing that will bring us out the other end with all the issues with drugs and the one-punch.
“Hard work is what’s going to bring us out the other end,” Mr Bell said.
Noosa councillor Sandy Bolton praised Mr Bell for his efforts in combating youth unemployment and said it was community spirit that will help local youth into more jobs.
“I think what is fantastic about what Evan is doing is he’s taking time out to give this young person a go, spend some time to see what he can do and assessing that person’s strengths and capabilities and then using the network and actually providing an organic reference,” Cr Bolton said.
Mr Bell’s investment in the local youth coincides with the current unemployment rate fall recently announced by the Queensland Government.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows youth unemployment on the Coast in November has fallen below 10 per cent, a major drop from 14.2 per cent in November 2014 and 10.5 per cent in October 2015.
