In 2025, our focus remained clear and unwavering: creating meaningful pathways to employment and training that change lives and strengthen communities.
Across Australia, we supported people to build confidence, develop skills and secure sustainable work, often at pivotal moments in their lives. Through tailored employment services, innovative training approaches and strong employer partnerships, thousands of individuals moved closer to financial independence, purpose and long-term career opportunity.
This year also marked a period of growth and evolution for Asuria. We continued to invest in innovation, introduced new technology-led learning approaches, and strengthened our national profile by sharing real stories through Channel 10 and the launch of our podcast. These platforms amplified lived experience, reminding us that behind every outcome is a person, a family and a future taking shape.
What follows is a snapshot of the progress made in 2025 and the collective impact achieved by our teams, partners and communities working together.
In 2025, Asuria continued to strengthen direct pathways into employment and training by bringing participants and employers together in ways that prioritised timely, practical outcomes.
Through Open Hiring events and Youth Jobs Fests, participants connected directly with hiring managers, training providers and support services, removing barriers and shortening the path to work. More than 1,300 people attended these events, over 1,000 interviews were conducted, and more than 125 people received a job offer on the day. These results demonstrate the power of connecting people to opportunity at the right moment.
Recognition throughout the year reinforced the importance of inclusive hiring and sustained effort. The Asuria Employer Awards celebrated employers and individuals creating genuine opportunity, recognising innovation, diversity, First Nations leadership, local champions and exceptional achievement. Young people in the Future Foundations program were also recognised for progress towards employment, further study and personal goals, reinforcing that lasting outcomes are built through confidence, capability and stability over time.
Asuria’s impact in employment services was further affirmed when the Australian Government extended our Workforce Australia Services licences through to 2027 across seven regions, including Sydney East Metro and North Western Melbourne. This extension reflects confidence in Asuria’s people-focused approach and provides continuity for communities relying on these services.
We also invested in building capability within our own workforce. A new, co-designed Certificate IV in Employment Services was launched to strengthen the skills of employment coaches across programs. The qualification focuses on practical, ethical and sector-specific capability, ensuring our people are well equipped to support job seekers and employers to achieve sustainable outcomes.
In Tasmania, Asuria contributed to the Hobart and Southern Tasmania Employment and Careers Expo, leading panel discussions on local labour markets, youth pathways and inclusive hiring. These conversations supported shared understanding of emerging opportunities and how collaboration between employers, educators and community organisations can better align skills with demand.
Partnerships continued to expand opportunity. A visit from Hotel Etico Australia’s Program Elevate participants to Asuria’s Chatswood office gave thirteen young people first-hand exposure to a corporate workplace, helped them build networks and broadened confidence about future employment pathways.
Inclusion remained embedded in how we worked throughout 2025, supporting better outcomes through employment and training.
During NAIDOC Week and Reconciliation Week, teams across the country honoured First Nations cultures and strengthened relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. A NAIDOC Week panel hosted by Asuria explored reconciliation leadership, culturally safe workplaces and the role of genuine partnerships in supporting economic empowerment. These conversations continue to guide how we work alongside First Nations Peoples to support meaningful employment outcomes.
Our commitment to regional and remote communities also grew. Asuria was appointed to deliver the Norfolk Island Employment Support Program under a three-year contract, bringing together employment support, disability employment services and vocational education into a single, person-centred model tailored to the island’s unique needs.
National recognition followed at the NESA Awards, where Asuria had four finalists across categories recognising participants, employers, frontline staff and sector leaders. Albury-based Indigenous mentor and employment consultant Mark Collis was named Employment Consultant of the Year, recognising his work supporting more than 120 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers into culturally safe, meaningful employment through community-based mentoring.
Another significant milestone was the graduation of nine participants from the Maritime Operations Training Program. After completing a Certificate I in Maritime Operations on Sydney Harbour, graduates progressed into clear pathways towards employment on the water, demonstrating the impact of training designed in direct partnership with employers.
Self-employment and small business continued to be a powerful pathway to economic independence in 2025.
Start Me Up, a national television series broadcast on Channel 10, powered by Asuria and hosted by Liv Phyland, followed Self-Employment Assistance participants as they turned ideas into viable businesses. The series highlighted that self-employment is an achievable option when people are supported with the right mentoring, structure and guidance.
Storytelling extended beyond television with the launch of U Talks: The Asuria Podcast. The first series, What I Wish I Knew, featured small business owners sharing candid insights on imposter syndrome, burnout, pricing, resilience and money mindset, combining lived experience with practical advice listeners could apply in their own working lives.
Events such as Brunch & Business further supported connection and shared learning. Through informal conversations, participants and small business owners exchanged practical ideas on marketing, pricing and wellbeing, strengthening confidence and capability alongside commercial skills.
Recognition followed at the National Self-Employment Association Business Awards, where three people connected to the Self-Employment Assistance program were named finalists. Business Mentor Nik Lazarevski, Andrew Dobson of Upcycled Wood Designs and Claire Wu, founder of Breathe Into Peace, were recognised for excellence in mentoring, business innovation and transformation, showcasing the breadth of sustainable businesses emerging through the program.
From 1 November, Asuria began delivering the new Inclusive Employment Australia program across regions in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Replacing Disability Employment Services, the program supports people with disability, injury or a health condition to access sustainable work, while helping employers build inclusive and supportive workplaces.
People remain central to Asuria’s impact. In December, we recognised the contribution of our workforce through U Day and the Enterprising Heart Awards. These awards celebrate the teams and individuals whose work delivers employment outcomes and reflects Asuria’s values in action. From frontline staff supporting people into jobs and small business coaches backing new ventures, to corporate and operational teams ensuring quality and integrity, this recognition reflects the capability, commitment and leadership that underpin our results.
Progress in 2025 was driven not by a single initiative, but by consistent action across communities. From people securing work on the day, to young people exploring careers in new ways, to small businesses taking shape, and services becoming more culturally safe and accessible, each outcome represents a step towards a better future through employment and training.
Thank you to our participants, employers, partners and teams for your trust, collaboration and shared commitment. Together, we look ahead with confidence to the opportunities of the year to come.