New apprentices Jerry Ahma and Annabell Tabuai are congratulated by NPARC human resources manager Leonie Ishmail. Photo: Supplied.
In a bid to address a trades skill shortage in the region, Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC) has added two carpentry apprentices to its ranks through a partnership with the State Government.
The council and the Department of Trade, Employment and Training have signed on the apprentices, Jerry Ahmat and Annabel Tabuai, to complete a nationally recognised Certificate III in Carpentry as a training pathway to the construction sector.
Mayor Robert Poi Poi said the council was proud to recruit the local trainees, with Ms Tabuai being the first female apprentice to pick up the tools for the organisation.
“Annabell Tabuai is council’s first female apprentice in a male-dominated trade,” he said.
“Her four-year carpentry apprenticeship is funded under the First Start Program, which is supported by the Queensland Government.
Mayor Poi Poi said the pair would help NPARC’s construction team tackle a range of vital infrastructure projects planned for the region.
Mr Ahmat joins NPARC as a third -year apprentice, having completed two years of training to date.
“NPARC is excited to see both Jerry and Annabell begin this new chapter, to help grow our beautiful region in far north Cape York,” Mayor Poi Poi said.
“We wish them every success as they embark on their apprenticeship journeys.”
