Staff have seen the value of diversity in action at Ascot Vale Leisure Centre, with new team members helping to welcome the local community.
Ascot Vale Leisure Centre is located in the multicultural north west of Melbourne. It is one of Moonee Valley’s MOVE recreation facilities. Moonee Valley is a diverse municipality, with around 30 percent of the population speaking a language other than English at home.
Welcome Ashwaq and Yasmin
In March, Ashwaq and Yasmin joined the team as Guest Experience Officers. Ashwaq and Yasmin both live in the local community and speak Somali, in addition to English. Community Engagement and Inclusion Coordinator, Verity Shepherdson says, “It’s very helpful to have team members with the ability to communicate with members in multiple languages. We have patrons who are more comfortable communicating in languages other than English, and if our staff can do that it clearly provides a positive experience for them.”
MOVE Moonee Valley Sales and Guest Experience Manager Vanessa Laino is pleased with how quickly Ashwaq and Yasmin have settled into their new roles, and with their ability to assist patrons. “They have been able to speak with customers in their first language and provide customer service in cases where there may otherwise have been a language barrier,” Vanessa explained. The two new Guest Experience Officers have also helped with the translation of their upcoming new café menu, which will be launched in the near future.
Yasmin (left) and Ashwaq (right) are enjoying being a part of the MOVE team
Working with council on the recruitment process
Ashwaq and Yasmin were recruited by Vanessa, working in partnership the City of Moonee of Valley (MVCC). Vanessa explains, “Council has strong connections to the community, and working with them can help to attract applications from candidates who may not otherwise have considered employment with us.”
Vanessa plans to liaise further with MVCC about other possibilities for attracting candidates from the local community. “It’s important that we think about different ways to attract potential employees. Only using traditional recruitment methods (such as online) puts us at risk of missing out on great candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds,” Vanessa concluded.
Find out more about Ascot Vale Leisure Centre here.
