Partnership helps to kick start careers in conservation

The partnership between TAFE Queensland and Southern Downs Industry Education Association (SDIEA) is providing valuable hands-on training and career pathways for community members.

Now in its seventh year, the Conservation and Ecosystem Management Traineeship program is delivered under the Skilling Queenslanders for Work Initiative of the Queensland Government.

The six-month traineeship program is one of several initiatives delivered through a collaboration between SDIEA and TAFE Queensland.

It offers participants a unique chance to gain industry insight, experience, and practical skills in conservation, horticulture, and land management.

SDIEA Conservation and Ecosystem Management Supervisor, Kimberley Robertson said the 12 participants on the program experience a variety of tasks, from parks and garden maintenance to valuable conservation work.

“The traineeship is hands-on and includes practical sessions at our national parks and Southern Downs Regional Council sites. With the Council, the trainees engage in a variety of work, such as gardening, whipper snipping, removing debris from our river banks after flood events, park maintenance, and assisting at the council depot,” said Ms Robertson.

“At least one day per week, our trainees work alongside the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services team at locations including Spicers Gap, Queen Mary Falls and West Gap, where we clear and maintain hiking trails, sand and recoat picnic tables and help service equipment such as chain saws and brushcutters, which ties in with the units studied with TAFE Queensland.”

The team engage in hands-on work at local Southern Downs sites.

SDIEA Centre Manager, Lisa Jones, said the trainees not only gain work-ready skills but also valuable connections to future employers.

“Working together as a team of 12 encourages teamwork and mutual support. We take a holistic approach to providing traineeships by linking teams with potential employers and services in the community.”

“We have dedicated supervisors with the skills to mentor their teams. The Conservation and Ecosystem Management traineeship is an opportunity to make valuable connections with staff from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services and Southern Downs Regional Council,” Mrs. Jones said.

Trainees discover more about grass varieties and weed management at TAFE Queensland's Warwick campus.

“Programs like ours play a vital role in supporting jobseekers across our region to find their future careers.”

TAFE Queensland General Manager of the South West Region, Kate Venables, said TAFE Queensland is proud to partner with SDIEA, helping to prepare job-ready candidates and skilled tradespeople to drive economic growth and future prosperity.

“We’re thrilled to work alongside the team at SDIEA, to help meet the region's skill demands and help lead to real employment opportunities for local residents in sectors such as horticulture, conservation and agriculture,” Ms. Venables said.

The program runs for 20 weeks, from February to June, and provides full-time paid employment, combining practical work with classroom learning.

Graduates of the program can pursue various career pathways, including horticulture, agriculture, conservation and land management, and Indigenous land management.