The transition of the Aboriginal Employment Strategy to a fully Indigenous board has coincided with more opportunities for Indigenous job seekers

Marking it's 25^th anniversary since beginning in Moree, the organisation has also now transitioned to a fully Indigenous board of directors.

Board member Jason Smith said it means a new era of autonomy, with Indigenous people working to advance their community and take advantage of the new opportunities.

Notably many of these opportunities are in industries which have historically lacked Indigenous employees.

"I knew there was a big component that was employed in the government sector," Mr Smith said.

"We've now got more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working in the private sector.

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"And that was one of the aims of the AES, having local aboriginal people working with local businesses."

According to Mr Smith, the transition is the result of their long years forming relationships with corporations to help advance members of the Indigenous community.

With the organisation now well established and trainees ready to break into new industries, Mr Smith said it was also time for a fully indigenous board.

"I think it was just time to make that transition," he said.

With the new board has come a new level of ambition.

The organisation is now supporting trainees to choose work beyond industries like hospitality, where the opportunities are most obvious following COVID-19.

Mr Smith said many of them have set their sights high and go straight for highly professional industries such as banking, finance, and care and social work.

Care and social work has become particularly attractive with the impact COVID-19 has had on people's mental health driving demand for more care workers.

"A lot of people have struggled with even just the cost of living and interest rates," Mr Smith said.

"That's going to be the next wave of concern for people in that sector.

"There are people outside of the government sector that are always looking for people to provide good service to their clients."

But the shift to the highly professional parts of the private sector hasn't just come about due to a sudden opportunism.

Mr Smith said there has also been a slower process of Indigenous trainees changing their mindset to the point they feel comfortable going into banking, finance, and other less typical industries.

"From our point of view it's about changing the mindset and mentality," he said.

"And from this we're starting to see that Aboriginal people are not only getting employed and getting to understand what private industries like.

"We're also seeing them starting their own businesses."

The COVID-19 shift to working from home has also played a role in the transition of AES trainees breaking into new industries, according to Mr Smith.

"I think with those opportunities to work from home in other sorts of industries [besides hospitality] ... people are leaning away from those [hospitality] industries," he said.

The organisation is now looking to increase the number of trainees they have on board to continue driving the transition.

Across the Tamworth region that means a jump from five to 15.

Mr Smith said they've also developed a good relationship with schools around the region, which gives them a good launchpad to give more Indigenous students a shot at the new career opportunities.

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