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Trainees stride into careers
by Emily Gallagher 26 August 2015
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group of eight talented Year 10 and 11 students have been selected for a School Based Trainee program (SBAT) that is providing a unique opportunity for Aboriginal students on the Central Coast to embrace career opportunities in the Health Sector. The SBAT was developed in 2014 through a collaborative partnership between the Central Coast Local Health District (the District), Hunter TAFE, the Aboriginal Learning Circle Hunter, Central Coast Schools and the local Aboriginal Community as a long-term regional strategy for Aboriginal training and employment. The two-year program provides Indigenous students the opportunity to study a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance and gain work experience at the District one day per week, whilst continuing their Higher School Certificate (HSC) studies. Benefits of the program are many and varied, including on-thejob training, skill development, real-world work experience as well as ongoing mentoring from experienced Aboriginal staff from the District, Hunter TAFE and the Aboriginal Learning Circle Hunter. The lifelong skills students develop during the program enable them to inspire other young Aboriginal people on the Central Coast to pursue training and education in the Health sector. The District’s Director of Workforce and Culture Belinda Collier says that as the largest
2015 School Based Aboriginal Trainee’s from the Central Coast. Image supplied
employer on the Central Coast, the organisation takes a proactive approach in developing and supporting its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce. “These traineeships are a great opportunity for talented young people to learn real work skills and open the door to a long and rewarding career in health on the Central Coast,” said Ms Collier. “We are so pleased that three of the trainees from last year’s program are now permanently employed with us, and we hope to place the fourth and final trainee by December. A number of trainees have also gone on to further study which is a great outcome. It is very rewarding to see these young people exploring their potential and taking the first steps towards achieving their career goals,” she said. Hunter TAFE Head Teacher, Petrina Heinze said the success of the program is the result of a collaborative effort, an innovative delivery model and dynamic teaching strategies to ensure students were given the best chance of success. “Hunter TAFE is very proud
of the positive outcomes that the Trainees’ have achieved to date. This program is an example of how collaboration can provide sustainable skills and employment outcomes for our young people and is proving to be a best-practice model that we can develop further in the future,” said Mrs Heinze. The students are perhaps the greatest reason for the project’s success and have been praised by their Hunter TAFE teacher Renee McBride. “The students are enthusiastic and highly motivated. With each week of study they have developed confidence and skills to help them achieve their career goals,” said Ms McBride. Narara Valley High School student, Drew Albert is one of the newest trainees who commenced the SBAT program in May this year. Drew is currently employed one day per week as a trainee at the District and will complete the program at the end of 2016. “Our class is very relaxed and our teachers made fun through interesting teaching methods,” said Drew.
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