News

Alliance announced!
Tue, Jan 22 2008

Two well-known Gippsland non-profit organisations have announced their commitment to enter into a major alliance, signing a formal Memorandum of Understanding this week.

i-Gain Quality Learning and the EW Tipping Foundation are planning to formalize the alliance by 1 July 2008.

Both organisations have been providing community services in Gippsland for more than 30 years. i-Gain, a registered training organization, provides educational and training services, disability services, and auspices the renowned Gippsland Community Leadership Program. The EW Tipping Foundation provides community support to senior citizens, children and people with disabilities.

i-Gain Chief Executive Officer Jenny Hammett and Tipping CEO Richard Dent say the move is an exciting one for people in the Latrobe Valley.

“We believe there are significant benefits for the communities we support,” said Jenny. “These include opportunities for expanding, developing and increasing the effectiveness of our services. It also means we can share ideas, improve practice, and raise efficiency which will allow us to invest more funding into services.”

The two organisations believe the alliance will increase opportunities for staff. “The anticipated expansion in services appears likely to lead to additional recruitment,” said Richard.

As part of the alliance, the two organisations are planning a ground-breaking – perhaps world first - project looking at best practice in disability day programs. This project aims to pilot best practice in disability services in Gippsland, providing new opportunities for people with disabilities.

All the existing activities of both organizations will continue. i-Gain will continue to be overseen by the i-Gain Committee of Management, and both organizations will maintain their names.

Discussions between the EW Tipping Foundation and i-Gain commenced in 2007. The Foundation has been a major Gippsland community organisation for more than 30 years, and employs more than 200 people in the region. It is now statewide, providing accommodation, respite, recreation and one-on-one care to people with disabilities, ageing Victorians and children.

A series of stakeholder and community consultations will be held over the next few months. Further information is available by contacting i-Gain on 5135 4300 or EW Tipping on 9564 1000.