Jun
2011
Order of Australia Medal
Eric Bell, an elder of the Ngunnawal community and Chairman of the Buranya Aboriginal Council, in Yass, NSW has been awarded an OAM for service to the Indigenous community through aged care, environment and employment initiatives.
Recently, with a grant from MEGT, Eric organised for the renovation of premises in Yass in order to house and deliver health services to the region’s elderly Indigenous population.
Another project Eric has commenced involves the employment and leadership skills of mature aged Indigenous Australians who, Eric believes, are the next generation of elders and key influencers in Indigenous communities. It is their positive attitude towards employment and mentoring of young people that Eric says is needed in order to break cycles of long term unemployment.
No commentsMay
2011
Indigenous Australian Apprentices benefit from new MEGT project
Luke Austin, Mitchell English, Sarah Harrange (MEGT), Adrian Hill (MEGT), Michael Wenham, Martin Latham with trainees hosted by Thiess.
Thiess, a major construction, mining and services contractor, is also a major employer of apprentices and trainees. And they have a strong commitment to sustainable employment of Indigenous Australians.
An alliance with RTA, Thiess, Parsons Brinkerhoff (PB) and Hyder Consulting, has been formed to construct the eastern section of the $1.7 billion Hunter Expressway Project in NSW. The Alliance section is 13.3km long and the project involves building a four-lane divided highway from the end of the F3 Freeway at Newcastle to Kurri Kurri in the Hunter Valley.
Partnering with MEGT Group Training Thiess is hosting seventeen Australian Apprentices for the project. Determined to meet their commitment to the employment and training of Indigenous Australians, six of the Australian Apprentices come from local indigenous communities.
MEGT is providing the essential pastoral care, mentoring and procedural support to help Thiess concentrate on what it does best:
• building the expressway
• $60 million of mine subsidence foundation treatment
• two million cubic metres of earthworks
• three viaduct bridges (840m long, 40m high and 20,000m2 bridge deck), and
• 16 other bridges (overpasses etc 14,000m2 bridge deck).
To date, five apprentices (of which two are Indigenous Australians) are completing the Certificate III Formwork/Falsework in a block release program at the Hunter Institute Tighes Hill campus. The apprentices will be working on constructing the bridges and viaducts.
Twelve trainees (of which four are Indigenous Australians) are completing Certificate II Civil Construction with on-the-job training through the Hunter Institute. Some of the trainee’s tasks include surveying, laying pipes for drainage, building silt fences and operating small plant and equipment.
Adrian Hill, Area Manager for MEGT Group Training and Sarah Harrang MEGT Newcastle Industry Employment consultant are working closely with Deb Nooyen and Sam Gillett from MEGT’s specialist Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network to help source and provide pastoral care and mentoring for the team.
Apr
2011
Mullangari Mura – new diabetes clinic in Yass
- Robin Vote – Indigenous Health Project Officer, Federal Member Alby Shulz and Eric Bell, Chairman of the Buranya Aboriginal Corporation
MEGT has had a close relationship with the Buranya Aboriginal Corporation for the past few years and admires and respects the work they have been doing through Ngunnawal Community Care to help approximately 100 elderly Aboriginal Australians stay at home rather than go into care.
We are pleased to have contributed in a small way to the refurbishment of the Ngunnawal Community Care offices in Yass in time for the launch of their new health service to the region. The refurbished premises now are a bit more cosy with the new carpet and heating.
From Goulburn to Canberra, Ngunnawal Community Care offices will pick up elderly customers and take them into Yass for a free health check including a full diabetes assessment.
The Southern General Practice Network has partnered with Ngunnawal Community Care to deliver this service through the Federally funded Closing the Gap program which is part of the Indigenous Chronic Disease Package.
Called ‘Mullangari Mura’, the monthly diabetes clinic will be held on the third Wednesday of every month at Ngunnawal Community Care (next door to the hospital) in Yass. The first clinic will take place on Wednesday 20 April from 9am to 5pm. GPs can encourage their patients to attend – no referral is required. The emphasis will be on self management and preventive strategies in a supportive and relaxed environment.
A diabetes educator, Aboriginal health workers, nurses and a podiatrist will be available at the free clinic. This multi-disciplinary approach has been tried and tested at our Healthy for Life diabetes clinics on the coast, where we are seeing Aboriginal people getting their diabetes under control and enjoying better health and wellbeing as a result.
The launch was held on a sparkling sunny day on Saturday 2nd April 2010 at the Yass Memorial Hall. Guests were entertained with music, jumping castle and a barbecue.
Attending the launch were Robin Vote, the Indigenous Health Project Officer for Closing the Gap program, local Federal Member Alby Shulz and Eric Bell, Chairman of the Buranya Aboriginal Corporation and an elder of the Ngunnawal people.
-
- Robin Vote – Indigenous Health Project Officer, Federal Member Alby Shulz and Eric Bell, Chairman of the Buranya Aboriginal Corporation
Dec
2010
MEGT works with the AECG
The Aboriginal Education Consultative Group for Indigenous People who are studying recognises the IATN team from Nambucca. MEGT’s Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network employs the team and ensures they receive the right training and work experience for a successful career.
Dec
2010
MEGT works with Indigenous communities
MEGT's Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network sign the Green Team Alliance in Port Macquarie
Sep
2010
Students dig in for innovative horticulture training
David Hagan (left) and Torres Strait Islander/Aboriginal/Papua New Guinea woman Katie Mcivor (right), MEGT Industry Employment Consultant Josh Grives, SQIT Project Co-ordinator Susan Becchio and MEGT National Manager Indigenous Programs Debra Nooyen
MEGT’s Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network is working with Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT) on a major project to assist Indigenous Australians into the workforce through an Australian Apprenticeship.
SQIT has burst out of the traditional mode of training with the innovative Certificate II in Horticulture starting next week.
Twenty-three Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are on the cusp of starting the first-ever, 12-month traineeship in horticulture that will see them experience training, employment and mentoring.
Darling Downs Indigenous Green Jobs Project has attracted employers keen to take trainees from across the region including a number of schools, Toowoomba Regional Council, Toowoomba City Golf Club, business houses and SQIT.
Work starts on 5 July as the group begin their 12-month traineeship with their new host employers, undergoing induction and meeting their new workmates.
Over the course of the year, they will learn skills such as paving, building courtyards, weeds and chemicals, planting and plant propagation, pruning and turf establishment, maintenance and renovation.
SQIT project co-ordinator Susan Becchio said there were 60 expressions of interest received to partake in the course and a screening process selected the final 23 participants. Participants then undertook an introduction week of pre-vocational training as well as a cultural awareness workshop.
“Garry Gawne has been employed as the full-time mentor for the project and is on-call to help with study techniques, challenges on-the-job and basically a support for any questions or problems,” she said.
“As a team, Garry and I have sourced each of the trainees and worked hard to ensure each trainee is suited to their host employer – we see this as a key to retention and success.
“The Group Training Organisation which employs each of the trainees has been announced as MEGT, a national company with a division dedicated to Indigenous training, so a lot of work has gone into ensuring the success of each participant.”
MEGT Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network’s National Manager of Indigenous Programs, Debra Nooyen, said the company was excited about this initiative.
“This is the first time we have worked with Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE and are really happy with the framework in place to deliver this project,” she said.
“The students will not only be trained in horticulture, but also be given business and study skills that will encourage them to continue learning or go further along their career path.
“MEGT is skilled in Indigenous training, with very successful retention and risk management strategies tailored to seeing our students graduate and succeed in their career pathway.”
SQIT director Paul Murphy said this project was very significant for the institute which he hoped could be replicated with other courses.
“We recognise there are different learning techniques and cultural awareness for Indigenous students. Our Indigenous Primary Health Care program proves we excel in delivering training for Indigenous students,” Mr Murphy said.
“This is the next step for us, working hand-in-hand to deliver training and mentoring that results in success for the students and the employers.”
The program is funded by the Federal Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and administered by Queensland’s Department of Education and Training.
MEGT (Australia) | Australian Apprenticeships
Jul
2010
If Daniel can do it – so can you!
2010 NSW Indigenous Trainee of the Year Award winner
- Daniel McDonald, NSW Indigenous Trainee of the Year Award for the South Western Sydney Region
This is no light statement. Daniel McDonald won the prestigious NSW Indigenous Trainee of the Year Award for the South Western Sydney Region Training Awards.
Daniel is profoundly deaf and knows too well the challenges he faces in life. With great determination, he has used his Certificate III Business Administration traineeship as the way to launch himself into a career.
At first, however, Daniel explains that when he was looking for a job it was very hard to find because no matter how well suited he may have been for the work involved, he had trouble applying if he had to use a telephone. It was the Aboriginal employment agency, Yarn’n, in Redfern, that helped him find his job with the Sydney South West Area Health Service.
At the beginning, explains Penny Brady, the Executive Officer for the NSW Health Registered Training Organisation employing Daniel, although there was a good support system in place for Indigenous trainees, there was quite an investment in time finding out how Daniel could progress in his traineeship and how other staff could work in well with him.
Daniel is pretty down to earth and explains that it can be hard for other people to learn how to work with him and to face him when they speak so he can read their lips and their facial expressions. He laughs when he recounts how colleagues get confused if they are yelling his name loudly, but behind him as he continues to walk away! He isn’t self conscious; he is just honest with them and explains he needs to see their face. ‘They are good people in this area and they make me feel welcome and appreciated.’
To his credit, according to Ms Brady, Daniel picks things up very quickly. He works in the recruitment section of the business and is responsible for the first short listing of candidates – matching applications to skills criteria. He also organised the Department Christmas party last year. Anyone in event management is bound to be impressed, knowing the amount of detail involved and need for clear communication.
Martin Ratcliff, the Area Manager for the local MEGT Australian Apprenticeships Centre works with thousands of businesses across the region and says that Sydney South West Area Health Service has a very good program for trainees, including their dedicated program of traineeships for Aboriginal Australians and people with a disability. From the time they start their Training Contract, Martin conducts regular monitoring checks until they qualify. He sees their progression and how they handle the challenges life throws at them.
So there were quite a number of very proud people at the Training Awards last week, cheering Daniel on!
Daniel spends so much time encouraging both Aboriginal communities and people at the Deaf Club (they are very quiet people he quips!) to be patient and keep going with their traineeship, it’s good to see his positive attitude, his work with community and his determination recognised.
His advice: “Being involved in a traineeship is very worthwhile. When you finish the traineeship with Sydney South West Area Health Service, if you’ve done well, there’s a great career in the health sector ahead of you.”
Australian Apprenticeships are an Australian government initiative.
MEGT Australia | Australian Apprenticeships
