In addition to receiving their achievement certificates, each participant received a keepsake book filled with photos taken of them throughout the traineeship. Everyone present at the graduation ceremony enjoyed watching a video created of the participants in action during the program and seeing their finished work provided a real sense of accomplishment for all involved.
Some of the participants came into the traineeship with a basic knowledge of mowing and gardening, and others came in with nothing at all; however, all have left with a deeper knowledge of land management, and a wide set of skills that they can use personally and in future employment.
“Thanks to the skills I have learnt during this traineeship, I am doing more yard work around the house than I ever have before,” said Joshua, the youngest participant.
The tasks undertaken in this course involved mowing, weeding, using the whipper snipper, chopping down trees, painting fences, driving tractors, and growing and maintaining plants – to name a few.
“We all worked really well as a team; we came together and got the job done and seeing what we achieved was a really good feeling,” said Sesa, another participant.
When asked what their favourite part about the traineeship was, every single participant said it was the friends they made along the way; friends who are now irreplaceable.
One of the participants, Chris, is doing some outdoor work to his house and so asked his new friends for some help using their newfound skills.
“Some of the guys even helped build fences and decks at my place over the weekend using the skills we learnt during the traineeship, and then we all went camping afterwards,” said Chris.
Before starting this traineeship, most of the participants were either in school or looking for work but finding it difficult to secure employment. Following this traineeship, 12 of the 15 participants have landed employment or apprenticeships with more than half being in the construction or conservation and land management industries.
“I recently started full-time work as a Groundsman at a nearby school which is exactly what I wanted, so am very appreciative of the opportunity created from this traineeship,” said Henry, another participant.
BUSY At Work Mentor, Libby, was incredibly proud of all participants for completing this course, “Having come into the traineeship from all different backgrounds, the group was very nervous, however, they were extremely welcoming and open to meeting new people. Over the past 20 weeks, they have all grown as individuals both personally and in their work lives.”
All participants agree that commencing a traineeship is one of the best things you can do if you are struggling to find work, as the skills gained open up avenues to employment. They all agreed the support received from BUSY At Work through the Skilling Queenslanders for Work Program was invaluable.
Paul Miles, Managing Director at BUSY At Work, said “The Skilling Queenslanders for Work program is designed to not only provide participants with new skills and experience they can use to find sustainable employment, but it also provides the soft skills that many young job seekers need, including confidence and communication in the workplace. We’re really pleased with the outcomes gained for the participants and wish them well in their future career endeavours.”
For more information regarding Skilling Queenslanders for Work courses, visit BUSY At Work or call 13 28 78.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michelle Ryan, BUSY At Work
0407 169 029 or email michelle.ryan@busyatwork.com.au
