Wujal Wujal Pride of Place graduates celebrate locally grown skills that are helping them find employment pathways in construction. Photo: Supplied.
Ten locally grown construction workers are set up for employment success after reinvigorating their community through Community Owned Enterprises’ (COE) latest Skilling Queenslanders for Work project in Wujal Wujal.
The COE Pride of Place project officially concluded with a graduation ceremony in front of friends and family last month, with participants receiving a Certificate I in Construction after six months of work assisting with the clean-up and rebuilding of assets and facilities lost in the Tropical Cyclone Jasper flood event of 2023.
The trainees said they felt proud to see their work, with council buildings cleaned and repainted, community furniture constructed or restored, and fellow individual community members’ homes cleaned.
“I feel good and proud; we’ve had lots of new experiences, learning how to build and fix things,” trainee Jukai Greenwool said.
“I’m happy that I made new friends, and I feel good now, more confident.”
Mr Greenwool is one of four trainees who have already secured ongoing employment, having begun a role as a community engager with My Pathway within days of graduating, but said his aspirations did not end there.
“I’d like to complete a Certificate III or IV, maybe an apprenticeship,” he said.
“One day, I would like to be my own boss as a builder and show other young people the way to approach life.”
Project supervisor Brad Gould recalled the group was eager from the beginning, but the growth showed through the course of their training was what made this project so successful.
“The trainees began with fresh energy, an eagerness to do well and a clear motivation to prove themselves as valuable assets to their peers and the broader community” he said.
“It was so inspiring to see the graduates complete each project with pride, growing confidence and enthusiasm and be so eager to take on the next tasks.
“Their positive attitudes contributed so much to the overall team spirit and with it, the project’s success.”
Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council chief executive officer Kiley Hanslow said the project had delivered much for the community, and that its impact would continue long into the future.
“This very positive community initiative has delivered real outcomes and pride for the community, highlighting the strength of culturally appropriate, community-based training laying the foundation for long-term employment and growth,” she said.
“Council believes these skilled and motivated trainees will continue to positively impact Wujal Wujal’s future, and hopefully continue to further upskill and link in with the delivery of community projects here in Wujal Wujal.”
