OpenText: Yirigaa and OpenText forge partnership to empower First Nations in tech

Sovereign Aboriginal Australian-owned ICT service provider Yirigaa has partnered with OpenText to address the technological and digital gap in access, resources, and opportunities for First Nations leaders and organisations.The partnership will see Yirigaa integrate OpenText's information management capabilities with its culturally informed IT services.Both organisations will deliver services tailored to specific client needs, including cyber security measures, customised software development and IT management.OpenText regional vice president channels and alliance Lee Gale told ARN the partnership aims to enhance Yirigaa's procurement and cyber security skills through co-investment and educational programs.The partnership emphasised the importance of cultural alignment and mutual business objectives, said Gale.According to Yirigaa CEO Yawun Mundine, its mission is to provide First Nations people with opportunities to develop skills and thrive in the cyber security industry.The IT service provider's executive team is led by Mundine, includes director and CFO Julang (Jay) Mundine, CCO Jeff Whitton, chair of the board Dr (Aunty) Lynette Riley and CTO Stephen Elbourn. Together with its board of members, they provide guidance on Yirigaa's mission and strategic direction.Mundine told ARN Yirigaa, which means 'morning star' in the Wiradjuri language, was founded in 2019 on Gadigal Country to provide IT services.Establishing trustBy 2020, Yirigaa had moved to also address the underrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the technology industry.This shift began during COVID-19 when Yirigaa was able to reflect on its mission from a "social impact standpoint", explained Mundine.The service provider created its flagship program, the Yirigaa Academy, and is dedicated to forging pathways into IT careers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Yirigaa Academy has a focus on high-demand IT fields such as cyber security, data science and networking."It was a chance to make a difference, especially since we already had established relationships with universities and TAFE," said Mundine. "That's when we shifted direction a bit and started the education programs."He believes that it's crucial to create a "culturally safe environment for learning", which was important. Each Indigenous community is different with "each tribe, each mob, each family" having their own cultural kinship and family protocols that they follow.It's something that Yirigaa is understands when it goes into these organisations. It will always "get to know the community better", to help build trust, explained Mundine. Then, "hopefully", Yirigaa can work on addressing some of the issues within those communities."Partnering with local community organisations in these areas who already have the trust of the people is key," Mundine said. "It's about building that trust and not just coming in from the outside with a top-down approach."This sentiment was how Yirigaa came to work with OpenText, he explained."We looked around in the marketplace for partners because, for us, partnership is more than just ticking a box," he said. "We've been very specific about the people we want to align with because it's about creating a greater social impact with what we're trying to achieve."Normally, when I lead the conversation with organisations, it doesn't progress to the next stage; ... you can gauge the interest at that level."Mentoring the next generationYirigaa has been fortunate with OpenText, explained Mundine, especially with the management team, like its Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) director for channels and alliances Joshua Wiles and A/NZ vice president George Harb, who have been really supportive of its cause.Mundine said OpenText have been supportive by providing access to their IT and software solutions which helps to enhance Yirigaa Academy programs."When we first sat down with [OpenText], we shared a lot of data," he explained. "For example, when you look at Indigenous kids in high school and their graduation rates, and you see the gaps, it's not closing [but] widening."When you look at a greater level, particularly in university careers, especially in IT, it's less than 2 per cent."Wiles said the partnership with Yirigaa represents a meaningful step in empowering First Nations communities through technology."By working together, we are creating new opportunities for Indigenous leaders and organisations to thrive in the digital landscape while ensuring cultural integrity and long-term impact," he said.Through the vendor, Yirigaa has been able to gain access to some of its IT and software solutions, even from a training aspect, which helps it to strengthen its academy, said Mundine."We're trying to achieve something significant for us [and] it's a mission we hold in high regard," he explained. "When we think about outcomes within Yirigaa, it's clear that everything we do ties back to our 'north star' [Yirigaa] Academy."We base our outcomes on how many more Indigenous kids and communities we can bring into this space."This is why the partnership with OpenText aligns with Yirigaa's mission to create meaningful pathways that combine cutting-edge technology with a strong foundation of cultural kinship."By empowering our people to lead in a space where Indigenous representation has been historically minimal, we aim to foster an industry that respects and integrates our culture while equipping individuals with the tools they need to succeed in a global, digital landscape," he said.According to Mundine, Indigenous people historically have sought careers in mining, construction, health, healthcare and education."[Technology] is like the new frontier for Indigenous people still," he noted. "That's why we're trying to create those champions to show young Indigenous kids this is a really good opportunity."When you think about what the way the world's going, how mobile is coming on technology, it's something that they should be really looking forward to as a potential job for the future."Mundine's drive for closing the digital technology gap within Indigenous communities was driven by his own positive experiences with mentorships. He counts Whitton and his professor mother as those who pushed him to do more."Someone gave me an opportunity and believed in me to do something, and then I took it from there," he said. It just [takes] getting that first step in the door."Some of the kids we've already had come through Academy thank [us], but I didn't do the work, [they] did the work ... I just opened the door."Future plansAs Yirigaa continues its work within Indigenous communities, Mundine explained it was early days for service provider as he has only reached year six of his 20-year plan. He believes in having genuine engagement from corporate and government as part of its due diligence."Identifying those true partnerships has been a major hurdle for us in the beginning," he said. "I'm really keen to grow the partnership I have with OpenText and trying to bridge the gap."The next phase, from a project standpoint, [is] creating more of an incubator that sits within Yirgaa."From a social impact perspective, Mundine said Yirigaa will continue to focus on metropolitan areas like Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong."The next phase is to head west of the mountains and into those regional areas [and] for us, that's always going to be the bigger goal."For OpenText, Gale said the vendor will work with the Yirigaa team to increase their skill sets and through certifications and other methods."We'll see the business grow together, and hopefully lots of customer success stories generated off the back of that," he said. "We've found is a good fit with Yarwin and Yirigaa, they're a great team to work with."