Aboriginal Employment Strategy

What Aboriginal Employment Strategy does

Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander not-for-profit recruitment, group training, and pre-employment services organization headquartered in Redfern, NSW, Australia, founded in 1997 in Moree. It places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers into employment across corporate, government, and NFP sectors, having created over 25,000 career opportunities and 2,500 traineeships/apprenticeships cumulatively, with a reported 68% national retention rate and approximately 1,150 career opportunities created per year. The organization is 100% First Nations governed (since October 2022), 95% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staffed, and serves 550 employers across 16 regional offices, with 65% of managers being Aboriginal women.

AES delivers services through five core product lines: (1) free government-funded Recruitment Services, including culturally-competent mentoring for up to six months post-placement; (2) Group Training, operating as an accredited Group Training Organisation that employs trainees and places them with host employers; (3) Labour Hire, providing temporary, contract, and permanent Aboriginal workforce solutions across construction, civil construction, traffic controlling, labouring, business administration, and transport; (4) sector-specific Pre-employment Programs branded as iTradies (construction, 90–95% completion), iCivil (civil construction), iRail/iTransport (rail), and iTraffic (traffic controlling), delivered in partnership with TAFE NSW; and (5) Professional Recruitment and Consultancy, including professional mentoring, Reconciliation Action Plan development, and Aboriginal Cultural Respect Training. Adjacent wholly-owned subsidiaries include Spearhead Recruitment (commercial recruitment of qualified Indigenous professionals), Yaama Ganu Gallery (a not-for-profit Aboriginal art gallery opened March 2011), and Café Gali (Aboriginal-inspired hospitality café).

AES's revenue is primarily Australian government funding (Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, NIAA, and related programs), supplemented by commercial labour hire and consultancy fees, and tax-deductible donations through its Deductible Gift Recipient status. Services to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander career seekers are provided free of charge; employer services for eligible placements are also free, while commercial labour hire and consultancy are quoted per engagement. Distribution is delivered through 16 regional offices, online portals, a national 1300 phone line, and direct employer relationship management, with a GTM that combines community-led field engagement with inside-sales phone/web intake. Customers include ANZ Bank, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac, LendLease, Coles, Scentre Group (Westfield), Awabakal Ltd, CRDC, and TAFE NSW, with long-tenured partnerships dating to 2002 in the banking sector.

Name

Aboriginal Employment Strategy

Legal name

Aboriginal Employment Strategy

Website

https://aes.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) is an Australian not-for-profit that recruits, trains, and places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers into employment through 16 regional offices, serving 550 employers across corporate, government, and NFP sectors with recruitment, group training, labour hire, and pre-employment services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aboriginal Employment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Paid Placement & Au Pair/Working Holiday Placement Programs (EDAIAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indigenous/Tribal Education Authorities & Boards (EDADABAM)

Keywords

• Aboriginal recruitment services
• Group training organisation
• Labour hire services
• Pre-employment programs
• Indigenous employment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Redfern

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: AES is primarily funded through Australian Government programs and agencies including the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), and other government employment programs. Services to eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander career seekers are provided free of charge.
2. Labour Hire Services: AES provides employers with skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees on a temporary, contract, or permanent basis across construction, civil construction, traffic controlling, labouring, business administration, and transport sectors through its commercial labour hire service.
3. Consultancy Services: AES generates revenue through consultancy services including professional recruitment (including GSE Act recruitment), professional mentoring, learning and development design, Reconciliation Action Plan development, and Aboriginal Cultural Respect Training.
4. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a deductible gift recipient endorsed by the Australian Tax Office, AES accepts tax-deductible donations from the public to support delivery and improvement of services to Indigenous Australians.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AES is a not-for-profit Aboriginal recruitment and group training organisation that recruits, trains and places Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into sustainable careers through five core service lines: government-funded recruitment services, accredited group training (traineeships and apprenticeships), commercial labour hire, tailored pre-employment programs (including branded iTradies, iCivil, iRail/iTransport and iTraffic streams), and professional recruitment/consultancy. It also operates the Yaama Ganu art gallery and Café Gali hospitality venture as social enterprises supporting regional Aboriginal employment.

Product overview

Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) is a national Aboriginal recruitment and group training organization offering a portfolio of employment services rather than a unified software product. The core service suite includes Recruitment Services, Group Training, Labour Hire, Pre-employment Programs, and Professional Recruitment and Consultancy. AES has developed branded pre-employment programs including iTradies (construction), iCivil (civil construction), iRail/iTransport (rail/trains), and iTraffic (traffic controlling). Additionally, AES operates Yaama Ganu Gallery and Café Gali as social enterprise initiatives supporting Aboriginal art and culture. The organization delivers services through 16 regional offices across Australia, with a focus on placing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into sustainable careers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Labour Hire: AES Labour Hire service providing employers with a diverse range of workforce solutions including contingent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce
• Yaama Ganu
• Café Gali
• iTradies
• iCivil
• iRail/iTransport
• iTraffic
• Spearhead Careers
• Centre of Excellence

Products and services

• Recruitment Services Government-funded free recruitment service supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into careers, with culturally-competent mentoring up to six months after placement. The service matches Indigenous job seekers with employer partners across corporate, government and NFP sectors.
• Group Training Accredited Group Training Organisation service: AES employs trainees under a training agreement and places them with host employers, with AES Field Officers providing coaching and mentoring for trainees and host employers to support the structured work-placement program.
• Labour Hire Commercial labour hire providing employers with skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees on a temporary, contract or permanent basis across construction, civil construction, traffic controlling, labouring, business administration and transport sectors through a dedicated Labour Hire team with site supervisors.
• Pre-employment Programs High-impact tailored pre-employment programs (including branded iTradies construction, iCivil civil construction, iRail/iTransport rail, and iTraffic traffic-control streams) that deliver required skills, experience and cultural understandings for job-readiness, often incorporating accredited training delivered in partnership with TAFE NSW.
• Professional Recruitment and Consultancy End-to-end professional recruitment and consultancy for employers, including professional recruitment (including GSE Act recruitment), professional mentoring, learning and development plans, mediation, performance management support, and Aboriginal Cultural Respect Training and Reconciliation Action Plan development advisory services.
• Yaama Ganu Gallery and Café Gali Not-for-profit Aboriginal art gallery (Yaama Ganu) and Aboriginal-inspired café (Café Gali) located within the gallery in Moree, showcasing consigned works from Kamilaroi Nation artists and Aboriginal-managed Art Centres while providing hospitality employment pathways for local Indigenous people.
• School-Based Traineeships Program placing Indigenous high school students into traineeships during Years 11 and 12 with host employers such as ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB and Westpac, combining one-day-a-week work, Certificate II training and career pathway activities while students complete their HSC.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% national retention rate for Indigenous Australians staying in employment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Awabakal LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2016AES and Awabakal (Aboriginal community-controlled health service) formalized a partnership to improve employment and health outcomes for Indigenous people in the Hunter and Central Coast region. Since November 2016, 35 placements of Aboriginal people at Awabakal were made through AES.
• LendLeasecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015LendLease partnered with AES to support the iTradies pre-employment program. AES National Construction Manager Rohan Tobler presented the program concept to LendLease, which has employed iTradies graduates.
• Design LandscapesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015AES partnered with Design Landscapes to help prepare and support Indigenous job candidates for landscape construction apprenticeships. Five first-year apprentices plus irrigation installation staff placed through the partnership.
• Aboriginal Pathways TAFE NSWcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2015AES has developed a partnership with Aboriginal Pathways TAFE NSW team to design and deliver accredited training for pre-employment programs, delivered by Aboriginal trainers.
• Supply NationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015AES registered with Supply Nation in November 2015 and appears in the Indigenous Business Directory. Supply Nation pairs Aboriginal-owned businesses with Government and corporate contractors.
• Scentre Group (Westfield)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013AES has worked with Scentre Group for four years delivering a school-based traineeship program for Indigenous students. Scentre Group is developing a Reconciliation Action Plan focused on Indigenous employment in partnership with AES.
• NABcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006NAB partnership launched in 2006. Since inception, NAB has delivered vocational training and experience in banking and finance sector to over 142 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees through the AES partnership.
• Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006CRDC has co-funded Indigenous traineeship positions with AES since 2006, specifically targeting Indigenous students in years 11 and 12. The partnership strengthens regional cotton farming communities by creating skilled labour force pathways.
• ANZ BankflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002AES and ANZ established the first Indigenous student-based banking traineeships in Australia in 2002. AES is ANZ's first partnered GTO (Group Training Organisation). The program enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students to complete years 11 and 12 while working one day per week at the bank. Average 60 Indigenous school-based trainees employed at ANZ nationwide each year.
• Commonwealth BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Commonwealth Bank partnered with AES following ANZ's lead to establish Indigenous school-based traineeships in banking.
• WestpaccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Westpac followed ANZ, CBA, and NAB in partnering with AES for Indigenous employment programs in the banking sector.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Skill Hire: Employment and training organization in Australia focused on Indigenous and disadvantaged job seekers, providing similar recruitment, labour hire, and pre-employment programs. Competes in the same DES and Indigenous employment service categories as AES.
• Sureway Employment and Training: Australian employment services organization with significant Indigenous employment programs, offering comparable recruitment, group training, and pre-employment services across regional Australia. Directly competes for the same government contracts and Indigenous employer partnerships as AES.
• MAX Employment (MAX Solutions): Major Australian employment services provider with explicit Indigenous employment programs and DES contracts. Offers comparable recruitment, training, and mentoring services targeting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers across multiple states.

Others

• CoAct: National network of Australian employment service providers delivering government-contracted DES and other employment programs. Member organizations include Indigenous-focused providers that directly compete with AES for the same contracts and employer relationships.
• SEEK: Australia's largest online employment marketplace. While not a direct employment services competitor, SEEK's job board platform is an adjacent enabling service that employers and job seekers use alongside recruitment agencies like AES.

Broad incumbents

• WorkPac: Major Australian staffing and workforce solutions company providing labour hire and recruitment services across mining, construction, healthcare, and industrial sectors. Competes for corporate labour hire contracts that AES targets through its labour hire service line.
• Randstad Australia: Global recruitment and workforce solutions provider with Australian operations across multiple sectors. Competes in general recruitment and staffing, including for the corporate and government employer partnerships AES cultivates.
• APM Employment Services: Large Australian employment services provider (part of Advanced Personnel Management) operating DES, mainstream employment, and disability employment programs nationally. Competes for the same government contracts as AES but with broader service portfolio and significantly larger geographic footprint.
• MatchWorks: Australian employment services provider operating DES and other government employment programs nationally, including Indigenous-specific employment services. Larger geographic footprint than AES and broader service offerings.
• Hays Australia: Global recruitment firm with substantial Australian operations across professional sectors. Competes for corporate recruitment and labour hire contracts that AES targets through its professional recruitment and consultancy service line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AboriginalEmploymentStrategy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aboriginal-employment-strategy-ltd
• Xx.com/aes_tm

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aboriginal Employment Strategy