Sourced directly from ARN, Written by Chris Player

Australia’s first website designed to link Australian charity organisations with free IT-tech support has been launched. CharityWorks.com.au is a new platform that matches under-resourced charities with under-worked or inexperienced IT candidates looking to bolster their CV while gaining real-time work experience and contacts at the same time. The program’s founder, John Christian, said undergraduates and new-comers to the IT industry are often looking for pro-bono work they can add to their portfolio of work while they attempt to enter the industry.

“Resource-poor charities are always looking for help with their IT-tech infrastructure, so we believe CharityWorks.com.au is a win-win,” he said.

The Brisbane businessman broke into the IT industry by volunteering himself at Queensland & Northern Territory Multimedia in 1997. “The objective of CharityWorks is to bridge the gap between the two - free of charge," he said. “Most charities in Australia are historically horribly under-resourced and one of the areas that is normally overlooked is a charity’s IT-tech infrastructure. “Undergrads or people looking at a career change in the IT industry don’t necessarily find work immediately in the sector. “CharityWorks.com.au works by linking these two groups together so the charity groups get the crucial IT-tech support and advice they so desperately need while undergrads and/or new-comers obtain some vital experience they need to kick-start their careers.”

Mr Christian said there are enough websites, like e-lance or Freelancer, taking work away from the Australian technology industry as the work is outsourced to primarily India, China or Russia.