Sankofa
Sankofa · Programs · Employment & economic participation

Clean Start

Employment & life readiness program

A structured job readiness and employment pathways mentoring program, backed by the other arm of the company, Dirt Busters Co., alongside partnering businesses across industries. Participants move from training, education, and mentoring into genuine paid work roles and other opportunities.

Commission this program → Refer a participant →
Designed for Young people 15 to 24CALD & multicultural communitiesMigrant & refugee communitiesYoung people at risk of disengagementSchool cohortsCommunity referrals
Delivery Structured sessionsGroup or targeted cohort deliverySchool & community settingsAdaptable delivery model
Curriculum

What participants learn.

Employment pathwaysWorkplace expectationsRights & responsibilitiesTax, super & payslipsCVsApplicationsInterviewsWorkplace communicationFinancial readinessIndividual pathway planning
The model

Structured sessions. Real work at the centre.

Clean Start moves each participant through four phases, at a pace with reasonable adjustments built in from day one. Session plans are documented and delivered to standard across every cohort.

i.

Foundations

Confidence, self belief, and goal setting. Each participant maps where they want to go and what they bring, and the cohort builds the trust the rest of the program stands on.

ii.

Skills for work

Employability skills built session by session: resume and CV building, job search strategies, interview preparation, and workplace expectations.

iii.

Real work experience

Genuine worksites with partner businesses, including Dirt Busters Co., where participants practise real skills to real standards with mentoring alongside.

iv.

Transition

Every participant leaves with a next step: employment, further training, volunteering, or a supported pathway, coordinated with the workers and services already around them.

Delivery contexts

One program. Three ways to commission it.

NDIS

NDIS participants

For participants with an employment goal, or the curiosity to explore one. Reasonable adjustments from day one, and coordination with existing support workers and coordinators.

Schools

School cohorts

Delivered within a school setting for CALD, migrant, and refugee students, adapted to the school calendar so students build work skills without stepping away from their education.

Community

Community cohorts

An organisation or agency refers or funds a cohort of its own people. Sankofa delivers the full program and the reporting, in genuine partnership.

Intended outcomes

Every completing participant leaves with:

→A career pathway plan
→A completed resume
→A mock interview, done for real
→An increased employment readiness score
→Training and employment referrals
→An individual next step plan

The outcomes framework behind it

Participation

  • Enrolment
  • Attendance
  • Completion

Capability

  • Employment knowledge
  • Confidence
  • Resume completion
  • Interview capability

Pathways

  • Education referral
  • Training referral
  • Work experience
  • Job applications

Longer term

  • Employment commenced
  • Training commenced
  • Education re-engagement
  • Sustained employment
Outcomes & evidence

Measured, not asserted.

Clean Start is evidence informed and outcomes focused. Every cohort is tracked from baseline to exit. Commissioners receive reporting against two outcomes: employment outcomes and progression readiness.

Across all Sankofa programs since 1 July 2025:

39employment placements
91progression in readiness & development
150+participants engaged
1,000+hours of support delivered
Organisation-wide cumulative figures since 1 July 2025, updated quarterly. Cohort-level reporting is provided to each commissioning partner.
i.
Baseline and exit measures
Each participant's starting point and destination, captured against the program framework.
ii.
Session records and attendance
Documented delivery for every session, for every cohort. Audit ready.
iii.
Cohort outcome reports
Reporting against employment outcomes and progression readiness, delivered to the commissioning partner.
iv.
Safeguarding built in
Child safe practice, screened facilitators, and documented policies. See safeguarding and governance.

Bring Clean Start to your organisation.

We will bring the program framework, the delivery model, the reporting, and the people behind them. Capability statement on request.

Commission Clean Start → Request program overview → Book a program discussion →