Harper Giles
Kayla Perkins
A school-based traineeship has given Tasmanian college students Harper Giles and Kayla Perkins a foot in the door to their future careers before they even finish school.
School-based trainees and apprentices split their week between school, work and training to achieve nationally recognised qualifications alongside their secondary education. There are approximately 650 school-based trainees and apprentices in Tasmania, accounting for about 7 per cent of the state’s overall apprenticeships and traineeships.
Life-changing opportunity
Harper is the first school-based trainee employed by Tasman Council, which is located in south-east Tasmania, about 90 minutes from Hobart.
He used to wake up at 6am, five days a week, to travel to school. Now he spends two days a week working close to home, in his own community, in south-east Tasmania.
Aside from alleviating the stress of a long commute, there are many benefits for students who participate in the program, according to Harper’s teacher at Rosny College, Belinda Vallerine.
Over the years she had been involved with the program, Belinda said she had witnessed apprentices and trainees becoming more self-assured. “They come back with real confidence. They feel confident in their workplace and they’re confident in their school environment as well.”
“They come back with real confidence. They feel confident in their workplace and they’re confident in their school environment as well,”
Belinda Vallerine, Rosny College
Harper said he had made some good friends at the council, and having the opportunity to work there while still at school had made him less anxious about finding more employment after he left college.
Fellow student Kayla is completing a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education alongside her school studies had also become more confident.
“It’s an opportunity to be a responsible adult. I love being that person children look up to, and [being] a good role model for them,” she said.
Traineeship supports local talent
Harper’s manager, Lee Wilson, said employing a school-based trainee had been a great experience for the council and a positive move for the local community.
The Tasman municipality is made up of a small and aging population of fewer than 2,700 people. It also had high unemployment.
Lee said Tasman Council had wanted to support a young community member in the hope of retaining local talent — but she initially had reservations about inviting a school-aged employee into the council workforce. “I was expecting, particularly with a male teenager, they can get a bit quiet or shy. Harper has smashed the mould when it comes to that. Being able to watch him grow from this quiet person to a real professional … it’s excellent.”
Lee said there were some challenges to work around, such as a trainee’s availability which was limited by school and studies, and having to ensure staff working directly with a teenage employee were registered to work with vulnerable people. But she said the benefits were worth the effort.
“I was expecting, particularly with a male teenager, they can get a bit quiet or shy. Harper has smashed the mould when it comes to that. Being able to watch him grow from this quiet person to a real professional … it’s excellent.”
Lee Wilson, Tasman Council
“There is a cost to the organisation but the benefit to that person, their family and the community, outweighs the cost,” she said.
“And just knowing they’re walking away with a qualification that could take them anywhere is really encouraging and I’d encourage other councils to do it.”
“There are some students that don’t suit school, and I think if we can offer that two-day opportunity in a workplace I think our [retention] would increase because they have that work-life balance,” she said.
Article courtesy of ABC News – Click here to read the full story