Traineeships a ticket to the world of work
By Zoe Helman
A newly revamped traineeship program at UniSA offers young people a pathway to achieve a nationally recognised qualification, while gaining practical employment experience.
The Career UniSA employment program was established in 2001 as an initiative to create opportunities for people aged 16-24 to develop workplace skills.
Human resources consultant Kerry Wells said the traineeship scheme is the first step towards further possibilities within UniSA.
“We’re bringing young people in who usually don’t have a work history – so they’re very open to moving into a work environment and just soaking it up and learning and growing from it,” she said.
Information technology and administration are the areas where most trainees are employed across a range of divisions.
Several Indigenous people are among the current group of trainees who attend TAFE one day a week as part of the program.
Ribnga Green is a trainee in information technology with the Human Resources Unit. He started in January 2004 and extended the 12-month position until September this year so he can pursue a further certificate at TAFE.
“I think it’s opened up a lot of doorways for jobs because before that I didn’t have too much on my resume,” he said.
Green hopes to find employment within UniSA when he has completed the traineeship. “UniSA has been great – they’re all really good people. Before I started I knew nothing about computers at all so they’ve been very patient and understanding and I’ve learnt a lot more now,” he said.
Tracy Drewett only started her traineeship in administration with Learning Connection last month, but said she would definitely try to stay with UniSA when she completes the program.
For Drewett, the traineeship means gaining experience and meeting a lot of interesting people. She said the University has been very supportive during the intensive induction process.
“It’s fantastic, it really is. I haven’t looked back.”