Nancy Pilot from the Torres Strait was a stay at home mum for 11 years, before she officially signed into a Certificate III in Hospitality last year, working as a trainee at the Mossman Gorge Centre in Far North Queensland. Now, mother of three Nancy has completed her traineeship and is a casual worker at the Mossman Gorge Centre. “I’m

Sam Wallis has always enjoyed being in nature. “I’ve always been an outdoors person. I love camping, fishing, stuff like that,” the 19 year old said. Lucky for Sam, he is undertaking a three year horticulture apprenticeship that Cairns Regional Council (CRC) has created in support of BUSY At Work’s Cairns50 campaign. Last year Sam undertook a Work Skills Traineeship

Like many young people who have left school, Ethan Johnson was at a crossroads and didn’t know what to do next with his life. After dropping out of school in year 9, Ethan got a full-time job. “I hated school. I was always in trouble and doing stupid stuff. So I started working at Maccas for 38 hours a week,

With past participants in the program achieving an impressive 83% rate of ongoing employment and a further 12% going on to further training programs, they have good reason to be optimistic. Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) is a Queensland Government funded program aimed at providing essential work place skills for disadvantaged job seekers, including young people and those who have

The historic 86 year old Binna Burra Lodge in the Gold Coast hinterland was well known to locals and travellers alike as a refuge for bushwalkers, holiday makers and school camps. Sadly, the Lodge is now a charred ruin with an uncertain future, the recent fires devastating the heritage-listed building and the beautiful flora and fauna surrounding it. The fires

With every online ad application you are completing, there can be hundreds of others competing for the same position. High odds indeed. Below are some ‘out-of-the-box’ tips for finding work! Networking: A mix of perfect timing and interacting It is estimated that approximately 60% of all jobs are not advertised. The reason for this is that before business managers decide

“I grew up looking after my little cousins and there were plenty of them, more than you can count on two hands!  I guess that taught me what it takes to look after children. I like inspiring kids to play outdoors, kicking the ball and having fun. That’s what being a kid is about”. Damon said. Damon’s employer at Little

The move is another strategy to address skills shortages for 139 industries and is expected to progress approximately 60,000 young people into a trade in the next four years.  These trades include electrical work, plumbing, engineering, health care, hospitality, early childhood education, baking, commercial cookery and hairdressing. In addition to incentives already offered to businesses including tax cuts for taking

We see a lot of resumes come through our hands… these are the top tips we believe are crucial to contributing to your success in the preparation of your job specific resume! Must Do’s Ensure it looks professional by using the same fonts and the same size text (perhaps slightly larger for your headings) Stick to a Word format –

Share a picture or video on Instagram and you could win a pair of work shoes for you and your bestie! Tell us about your funniest moments together and how they make your day that much better. We will share the best entries on our Instagram, and the post with the most likes will win a pair of work shoes*

Most people are aware of the standard questions that are asked in an interview and a prepared job seeker will have something rehearsed for even the most dreaded questions like ‘what would you consider to be your greatest weakness?’ or ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ If you really want to get to know a potential candidate, throwing

The Additional Identified Skills Shortage (AISS) payment incentive is part of $156.3 million of the overall promised investment into the vocational education sector. The strategy is expected to encourage the uptake of 80,000 new apprentices into these identified industry roles over the next five years: Carpenters and Joiners Plumbers Hairdressers Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Mechanics Bricklayers and Stonemasons Plasterers Bakers and

All of the above was the case for Tom when he first signed up with BUSY At Work and the Transition to Work program. Tom’s story is not uncommon for many young people who have left school and are struggling with health issues or personal hardships. When Tom did recover from his health issues, he put everything he could into

Queensland’s State Budget, announced yesterday by the State Treasurer Jackie Trad, shows the government’s commitment to jobs growth in regional Queensland, including a $49.5 billion infrastructure spend over four years. According to the announcement, the Palaszczuk Government is “focused on providing people with the right skills to drive a strong economic future, with a focus on delivering jobs, supporting small

Rod Talbot, owner of Talbot Bricklaying had just begun to breathe life back into his small business after recovering from a car accident late last year. Business was picking up and it was time to start thinking about hiring an extra hand. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect when Katrina Curcuruto called, asking if he was interested in hiring

After the slight increase in March unemployment rate which rose from 5% to 5.1%, another rise in April, creeping up to 5.2% is a concerning trend, according to the latest information released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Once again, a two-speed economy is evident with New South Wales and Victoria still experiencing strong job markets. In the past

The Western Australian State Government will soon offer incentives of up to $8,500 to employ an apprentice or trainee. Announced by Premier Mark McGowan in last week’s 2019-20 State Budget, the incentives are estimated to help 6,000 businesses in Western Australia and, along with other training subsidies, will cost $182 million. This cost will be offset by removing the existing

March labour figures, recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), continue to show a steady unemployment rate at 5%, up slightly from February rate at 4.9%. The trend monthly underemployment rate also remained steady at 8.2 per cent and decreased by 0.4 percentage points over the year. New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia all remained steady while

You’re probably no stranger to setting goals. Whether it’s something work related like getting a promotion, or something more personal like losing weight, we’ve all set goals at some point. Even our long forgotten New Year’s resolutions can be classified as a type of goal, as can our desire to get through our to-do list before the end of the

After devoting fifteen years to raising her four young boys, Lisa Roberts had the opportunity to revisit her career path and find a job she truly loves. Like many mothers re-entering the workforce after a long period, Lisa found it was difficult because employers were often looking for recent workplace skills. Having always had a love of nature and gardening,

Last night’s budget announcement included particular skills-shortage occupations that are promised to receive further incentives under the Additional Identified Skills Shortage (AISS) payment, worth $156.3 million of the overall investment into the vocational education sector. The AISS payment will offer employers double the current financial incentive of $4,000 (for eligible occupations), increasing this amount to $8,000. Over the next five

The labour force figures for February, released this week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), indicates the summer holiday period is officially over and the Australian workforce is back in full swing. As a nation, Australians rolled up their sleeves and worked 2.6 million more hours in February than we did in January. The report also showed an increase

With an average of one in four people experiencing anxiety at some stage in their life, it’s no surprise that Aussies are experiencing anxiety in the workplace. This has a massive impact not only on the individual, but on the business with 92% of serious work-related mental health condition claims being attributed to mental stress and one in five Australians

A footballers career is an exhilarating one, just ask Ash Taylor, half-back for the Gold Coast Titans. In the 2018 season Ash achieved 17 try-assists for the team and his pre-season lead-up this year indicates he is one to watch, evident in his commitment for ongoing improvement. But like many elite sporting careers, football careers often run short and players

According to the most recent labour force figures for January, just released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are 218,600 more persons employed full-time and 76,800 more persons employed part-time in Australia, compared to twelve months ago. Further, over the past year, trend employment increased by 295,500 persons (or 2.4%), which was above the average annual growth rate over

A former teacher, Sarah Williams, has always been passionate about educating young people. Now the owner of the Boost Juice franchise at Riverlink, Springfield, Sarah recently signed up her 4th school-based trainee, Avriel Jaggard, through Apprenticeship and Traineeship providers, BUSY At Work. Eager to assist young people transition into the workplace once they complete school, Boost Juice has a very

Employment provider BUSY At Work has today unveiled a state-of-the-art, world first virtual reality app designed to revolutionise the way young people choose an apprenticeship. VApprentice is a gamification app that provides potential apprentices with a virtual experience of jobs ranging across sectors such as hospitality, construction and retail. BUSY At Work Managing Director Paul Miles said that it is

With an award-winning reputation for serving local, ‘farm-to-fork’ produce and exceptional food, the Bluebird Kitchen and Smokehouse in Warwick is the perfect learning environment for passionate, up-and-coming cook, Julia Walker. In April 2017, Apprentice and Trainee experts, BUSY At Work, signed up Julia (then a year 11 student), to the school-based apprenticeship opportunity at Bluebird Kitchen, owned by husband and

Since the age of 14, Brock Hodgson has dreamed of becoming a jeweller. Fast forward to eight years later and he is on his way, thanks to an apprenticeship opportunity in jewellery manufacturing with Stephen Dibb Jewellers, signed up through BUSY At Work. Just weeks into his apprenticeship with the reputable Brisbane jewellers, Brock was chosen as a finalist in

There’s no doubt that completing an apprenticeship can lead to a successful career. Take a look at these famous Aussies, who have completed a VET qualification and have gone on to do big things. 1. Matt Moran – Celebrity Chef Celebrity chef Matt Moran is now a household name and started his career by studying Commercial Cookery at TAFE. Although

With university degrees no longer rewarding students with a guarantee of full-time work, there’s a greater need for alternate education and employment pathways. Apprenticeships and traineeships are a great way to train people in occupations and industries that are experiencing high demand. For businesses, hiring apprentices and trainees is a great option because it involves taking on workers that are

The Australian Government today launched a $60m wage subsidy trial providing regional and rural small businesses with generous incentives in apprentice wage subsidies.

Australia’s unemployment rate has hit a six and half year low at 5 per cent according to the October figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The seasonally adjusted number of jobs increased by around 32,800 and participation rate increased to 65.6 per cent. According to the ABC News report, Indeed’s Asia-Pacific economist Callam Pickering described the

Settling into a new job is often a nerve-wracking experience for employees. It’s a moment of truth where they learn whether they have made the right decision and it’s one of the most important opportunities for a business to make a good first impression.

The Australian Government today launched a $60m wage subsidy trial providing regional and rural small businesses with generous incentives in apprentice wage subsidies.

While most of us like to think that bullying is something that only happens in the school yard, the sad reality is that half of all Aussie employees will experience workplace bullying during their careers. What is workplace bullying? According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, an employee is considered to be experiencing bullying at work when: A person or group

It’s estimated that by 2020, almost half of the workforce will be made up of Millennials. With this in mind, employers must understand the differences between this younger demographic that is entering the workforce and the ones that have come before them if they have any chance in attracting and retaining top quality employees. Growing up in a digital world

Everyone is familiar with feeling stressed at work. Whether it’s because we have a deadline looming, an important meeting coming up or a busy period in the year- feeling stressed at work is not uncommon. Most of this stress is manageable and doesn’t pose a significant problem to the average worker. However, when this stress is ongoing and excessive, or

Think about some of the big social issues that have been at the focus of the past few years here and around the world. Marriage equality, climate change, gun control- even the plastic bag bans in supermarkets. No matter what your opinion is on these matters, it’s undeniable that young social activists have had a huge role in catalysing some

According to career site Glassdoor, almost 80 per cent of employees say they would prefer new or better perks (such as healthcare benefits or extra time off) over a pay rise. On top of this, research shows that small happiness boosters such as snacks and drinks can lift productivity by an average of 12 per cent and up to 20

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) yesterday have shown an increase in 5,600 jobs from August to September, contributing to the lowest unemployment rate in over 6 years. The 0.3 per cent decrease in the seasonally adjusted figures brought the unemployment rate down to 5.0, with the labour force participation rate standing at 65.4 per cent after

As the end of the year approaches it’s easy to get excited about the upcoming silly season. Eventbrite have reported that Aussie businesses spent an average of $9,722 on their Christmas celebrations last year. On the more decadent end of things, 13% of businesses were said to have spent between $10,000 and $100,000, while 4% dropped more than a whopping

An inherent part of any employment is the duty for employees to carry out a lawful and reasonable direction from their employer. A lack of knowledge on the details of ‘lawful and reasonable’ can make it difficult for employers to know exactly what they can ask their employees to do, as well as making it hard for employees to recognise

Today is World Mental Health Day, and this year’s theme ‘Do you see what I see?’ aims to challenge the perceptions about mental illness around the world. With one in five Australian’s living with mental health conditions, it’s time we start looking at mental health in a more positive light. One place we must start to look at changing perception

With the rise of insecure work arrangements and the gig economy it’s becoming more and more important for employers and employees to understand where they stand when it comes to casual work. One in four Aussie employees is a casual worker however, there is still a range of myths and misconceptions that can confuse the process for everyone involved. Casual

Team building exercises can often fall flat; they run the risk of being lame, employees feel uncomfortable and even some of the best team building days can be forgotten about as soon as they’re over. That’s not to say that team building isn’t worth investing it- it is an important part of any business and it can mitigate conflict, build

In Australia it’s not uncommon to have a couple of drinks before heading home from work at the end of the day. For corporate industries, it’s normal to have meetings over drinks and employees across the board are happy to knock off and have a couple of beers after work together. Companies like Atlassian even offer free beers to employees

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) this month have shown that seasonally adjusted employment has increased by 44,000 jobs, with 33,700 of those positions being full time. This rise in jobs has meant that full time employment has increased by 202,100 since August 2017. The Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer MP, said

We’re all looking for ways to make our businesses run that little bit smoother and, thanks to new technology emerging every day, it has never been easier to find the tools to help you out. Slack Slack aims to improve collaboration between staff members and is the perfect tool for internal communication. Classified as a messaging app, this tool allows

Workplace culture plays a massive part in the productivity of a company. Unhappy employees have lower productivity levels, are more likely to make mistakes and to look for a new job. It also has a domino effect on co-workers and, on a larger scale, can damage the reputation of your company for future employees. For individual employees, a toxic workplace