From L-R: Jamie Hughes (President of BATSIHAAS), Margaret-Ann Goy (CEO of Skill360), Minister Lance McCallum, Keegan (Past SQW participant), Mark Thompson (SQW Mentor), Tom Smith MP (Member for Bundaberg).
Skill360 is proud to announce an upcoming Skilling Queenslanders for Work program that will support 24 young people to gain skills for a career in construction, while also providing much needed social housing in the Bundaberg region.
Under the highly successful Queensland Government-funded Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, Skill360 will be delivering the traineeship program which will see eligible job seeker participants undertake renovation and repairs on 46 properties owned by the Bundaberg Aboriginal Torres Strait Islanders Housing and Advancement Society (BATSIHAAS). The 20-week program is a paid full-time traineeship where participants will get a real taste of construction as a career option.
Supervised by Skill360 construction trainers, participants will not only gain a Certificate I in Construction and a White Card, they will also be provided with wrap-around support that includes career mentoring, development of literacy, digital literacy and numeracy skills, transport, mental health support and job preparation support. On completion of the program, work-ready participants are marketed to construction employers in the region with the goal of continuing their construction apprenticeship.
Keegan recently undertook a similar Skilling Queenslanders for Work program which provided him with skills for construction. According to Keegan, he gained more than just a career start, discovering he had natural leadership skills as well.
Keegan said of his experience, “What I really got out of working on the project was a sense of teamwork and pride. I was able to step up and show leadership when the team needed it, and I loved learning new skills. Looking back at the finished project, I’m so impressed by what we were able to achieve. I’ve definitely grown a lot since the project started and discovered through the course that I’m a natural leader and hard worker.”
The ‘Building Bundaberg’ program is just one part of the Miles Government’s Homes for Queenslanders plan, which is already seeing more than $1 billion in social housing projects either in construction or contracted. The plan will deliver one million more homes, including 53,500 more social homes.
Member for Bundaberg Tom Smith MP said, “Bundaberg is at the centre of Queensland’s Big Build and the Housing Construction Traineeship Fund is ensuring we have the skilled local workers to continue that momentum. We’re also doing what matters for vulnerable members of our community by supporting them into jobs through skills and training initiatives that set them up for the futures they deserve.”
Skill360 Chief Executive Officer Margaret-Ann Goy, “We’re excited to announce the launch of the ‘Building Bundaberg’ program which will provide accredited skills to local job seekers interested in a career path in construction, while also providing much needed social housing.
“Partnering with BATSIHAAS, Skill360 will be supporting local residents, creating jobs, and improving the quality of life in the Bundaberg Community.”
Skill360 delivers a range of Skilling Queenslanders for Work programs throughout Queensland, partnering with community organisations and providing opportunities for job seekers to gain real work skills in a variety of industries including administration, hospitality, retail, construction, warehousing and more.
Learn more about Skill360 delivery of their current Skilling Queenslanders for Work programs. The ‘Building Bundaberg’ project will be commencing mid-November – please keep checking the website for launch dates.
For more information on the Queensland Government’s Housing Construction Traineeship Fund, please visit: https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/community-orgs/sqw/wst-hctf.
