Federal Minister the Hon Karen Andrews MP was on hand this morning to officially launch the GC150 at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, with over 50 local businesses and young people in attendance.
BUSY At Work Managing Director Paul Miles said that it is important for young people to know that they can have a great life and fantastic careers here on the Gold Coast, with the program offering local employers the opportunity to help young people get a foot in the door to paid employment.
“BUSY At Work’s GC150 campaign is all about providing opportunities for young people in our region, as well as highlighting the many benefits that apprenticeships and traineeships provide.
“This is our fourth year of the campaign, and we’ve been able to help over 1,000 young people get into apprenticeships and traineeships, including school-based, since we started as the GC101 in 2016.
“This year our team is again hoping to smash our 150 placement target on the Gold Coast, but we need the support of our local business community. Anyone looking to put on an apprentice or trainee are encouraged to contact us today.”
Minister Andrews said one of the key priorities of the Morrison Government was to equip Australians with the skills businesses need to boost their success, delivering better wages and more jobs.
“The Morrison Government’s ongoing priority is supporting job creation, and we know that building skills is a huge part of that,” Ms Andrews said.
“I’ve been proud to support BUSY At Work’s Gold Coast challenge each year,” she added. “As each goal has been achieved, higher goals have been set.”
“It really is a fantastic way to promote the benefits of apprenticeships to local businesses and to help our local young people find meaningful work.
“I love the fact it’s community-driven and delivers real local benefits. I’m excited to once again launch GC150 and to help work toward the goal of 150 new apprenticeships for locals by the end of the year.”
The Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the GC150 initiative is a fantastic opportunity to connect young Australians looking for work with employers in the Gold Coast region.
“Vocational education and training provides practical work-based learning, that allows people to gain on the job experience and delivers the skills demanded of industry,” said Minister Cash.
“The Morrison Government has committed $585 million for the Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow package to strengthen the VET sector. We are investing in Australian skills development and are committed to the creation of an additional 80,000 apprenticeships over the next five years,” said Minister Cash.
Employers like the National Trust-Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary are great supporters of the GC150 campaign. Jane Jamieson, GM of Human Resources; National Trust of Australia (Queensland), said, “Each year, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary proudly hosts over 30 paid School Based Traineeship placements in the areas of Hospitality, Retail and Business.
“This year we are excited to potentially be offering three new apprenticeship opportunities in the areas of Horticulture, Commercial Cookery and Carpentry to support this important career-building GC150 campaign by BUSY At Work.
“We consider that assisting the career journeys of motivated young Gold Coasters to be a win-win scenario for our organisation and for the young people and their families involved. I encourage other Gold Coast employers to join the campaign,” Jane said.
Employers and job seekers can contact BUSY on 13 28 79 or go to https://www.busyatwork.com.au/gold-coast-150/.
For interview opportunities, please contact Michelle Dowding on 0407 169 029.
About BUSY At Work:
BUSY At Work is one of the largest Queensland-based Australian Apprenticeship Network Providers. It is a not-for-profit organisation providing apprenticeship, employment and education support programs.
