Celebrating Construction Certifications in Mapoon

In a small but touching ceremony in mid-December, we celebrated the success of our ten participants in the first Mapoon Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) program, including several who have obtained ongoing employment.

 

Made possible by the strong partnerships between Community Owned Enterprises, The Na’Muk’A’Run Mob, Mapoon Aboriginal Shire Council (MASC) and local CDP provider Kuku’nathi Services, the graduation ceremony was an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the program and the growth and achievements of each of our participants.

 

Over the 26-week program, participants John and Greg Bond, Albert Day, Kenny Edwards, Walter Gammia, Izaiah Hellmuth, Cornelius Mara, Vivian Swain, Brendan Wheeler and Mildred Wilson worked on a range of tasks and sites for host employer MASC. These included fencing new blocks and preparing sites and slab footings for new houses being built in the community, preparation works for a new community shop, preparations and footings for new council accommodation facilities and undertaking the landscaping of Mapoon’s brand new church which opened just before the end of 2021.

 

The range of tasks our trainees undertook throughout the community, as well as the core coursework for their Certificate 1 in construction, saw participants develop a wide range of competencies that have boosted their employability and skillsets. This development was so successful that two participants transitioned to permanent employment before the program was even finalised; Greg Bond is now working full-time as a ranger in Mapoon and Mildred Wilson is employed at the Albatross Bay Resort in neighbouring Weipa. Cornelius Mara has pivoted the skills developed and commitment shown through the program to secure a training squad position with the Townsville Blackhawks, a NRL Cowboys feeder club. COE and MASC are investigating ongoing roles for three more participants in Mapoon. We will continue to work with the remaining participants to help them identify and secure opportunities of interest.

 

“This ultimately, is what we want, people to gain skills and employment from these programs,” said program mentor Jack Wipa of those that were successful ahead of graduation.

 

To further assist participants to develop skills that would prepare them for positions in and around their community, COE identified and organised further training that could be incorporated into this SQW program. Participants undertook both ‘working at heights’ and ‘working in confined spaces’ training, obtaining tickets which the large mining employers in the region require of their hires.

 

“The participants all grew through the program and showed great support for each other,” said COE Remote Projects Coordinator Katie Wallace. In the spread-out township even getting to work can be problematic with some participants living 5-10km from worksites, the participants worked out carpool arrangements and showed great support in other ways too. With some members of the group having experienced incarceration and long-term unemployment, the interpersonal support within the group, and from their Na’Muk’A’Run Mob mentors Jack and Shaun saw participants demonstrate “lots of resilience to push through and show commitment to work and their employer,” she concluded.

 

COE thanks the participants for their efforts in this new program for the community, forging the way for new programs to assist future participants and creating lasting impacts in their community. We extend our gratitude to the MASC for providing fulfilling and varied tasks for the participants, assisting them to develop great skillsets and their role in securing ongoing opportunities in the community. Kuku’nathi Services supported the program in several ways, offering their Mapoon space and personnel throughout the program. Finally, we thank Jack and Shaun from the Na’Muk’A’Run Mob for the dedicated mentoring, training and support which was instrumental to the successful delivery of this SQW program.

 

This training has been made possible by funding from the Queensland Government as part of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.