It’s been an exciting year for five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainees as they have worked their way through traineeship programs at the University of Southern Queensland.
Belinda Gilbert, Gail Martin, Tracey McGrady, Tishayne McIntosh-Drewes and Jasmine Weldon started work at USQ in late May 2012 for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeship Pilot Program.
Business Administration Trainee Jasmine Weldon said the trainees were having a fantastic time.
‘I think I can speak for the rest of the trainees as well when I say the traineeship program has been absolutely great,’ she said.
‘We are all enjoying working at the university four days a week and going to TAFE every Wednesday.
‘There is always something new to learn and look forward to every day within our different faculties and departments.’
Ms Weldon said the other trainees and herself would be receiving a Certificate 3 in Business or Business Administration upon successful completion of the program.
‘Our experience with USQ will open a lot of doors for all of us and will help us to finally get our dream jobs,’ she said.
‘To be able to say we were one of the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trainees at USQ Toowoomba Campus is a great privilege and a big thank you goes to all involved for believing in us’.
‘In one word, the whole experience has been just awesome.’
2012 marked the program’s inception and organiser Jessica Horner said she was very pleased with the results so far.
‘The trainees have been going really well and we’re all really excited with how the program is progressing,’ Miss Horner said.
‘The University is finalising recruitment for the 2013 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeship Program which will provide five additional career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at USQ’.
This program aligns to the University’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Development and Employment Strategy which aims to increase the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to 2.5% of the USQ workforce.
The trainees are each supported by their supervisor and the Indigenous Employment Strategy Coordinator.
USQ employees and teams have also provided the trainees with valuable experiences, with the Director of Marketing and Student Attraction Helen Nolan showing her support for the trainees with the donation of USQ-branded polo shirts to the program.
Media contact:
Callum Johnson, email: callum.johnson@usq.edu.au, Phone: 07 4687 5805.
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