Harnessing the Value of a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce

Migrants need support finding inclusive work placements when they begin their life in Australia. Parents returning to the workforce need mentoring to understand the changes to the technology sector. Charitable organizations need help from technology providers in order to deliver their services effectively. Blaze Your Trail, founded by Jessica Macpherson OAM, uncovers hidden talent and provides individuals from diverse backgrounds with hands-on, real-world work experience using Salesforce technology. Jessica has been recognized for her dedication to doing good in her career and community by being awarded with a Golden Hoodie from Trailhead!

Blaze Your Trail is a consultancy business, an accredited social enterprise, and a Salesforce partner. It’s a unique player in the Salesforce ecosystem, as it offers free training and work experience to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) jobseekers, helping individuals from a CALD background to move out of poorly paid positions and into roles that are better suited to their professional skill level. In the second half of the 2021 fiscal year, 47% of those who received training and work experience through Blaze Your Trail found employment at partner organizations such as Capgemini, Accenture, and Deloitte.

Through founding Blaze Your Trail, Jessica has found that diverse individuals aren’t struggling to find work because they lack skills or credentials, but because they don’t have experience working in the Australian technology sector. Interestingly, 80 to 90% of the candidates that Jessica works with have practical work experience outside of Australia. However, this experience is often unrecognized by Australian employers. This is what drives CALD jobseekers to remain in low-paying roles that are well below their experience and credential level. 

Blaze Your Trail aims to remove the experience barrier for CALD individuals by connecting candidates with charities and small businesses that need help implementing and using Salesforce technology. By assigning candidates to work on real-world problems for charities and small businesses, Blaze Your Trail supports diverse individuals while also promoting ecosystem growth for Salesforce.