Training program delivers employment for Madison

23 year-old Madison James has secured the fitting and turning apprenticeship she’s been long chasing, after completing a specialised TAFE Queensland pre-apprenticeship program.

Over 13 weeks, Madison and her classmates were paid to train at TAFE Queensland and completed industry placements in the program facilitated by Ai Group Apprentice and Trainee Centre (ATC) and funded by the Queensland Government, completing with a Certificate I in Engineering (MEM10119).

Having worked in unskilled roles in the mining industry previously, Madison has been eying off an engineering apprenticeship for some time, and saw immediate impact on her job search with the newfound skills from her TAFE Queensland training.

“I found this course so I could get some entry-level skills and make myself feel more confident going into an apprenticeship. It also gave me a chance to see what it’s about and decide what I like most within the industry,” Ms James said.

“I thought ‘I’m going to do this course to make myself look better for interviews’ and then [Carlton and United Breweries] were really impressed with this program and really excited that I was doing it … I definitely wouldn’t have gotten the job if I didn’t have the experience from this course.”

“I wanted to work there because their operations site is very large and it’s very diverse with the areas I can work in. I’ll start in utilities, they have a water treatment plant, the boiler room, and production lines as well. I thought it would be best because it’s so diverse and I can learn so many different things, instead of just being really good at one thing.”

“I would definitely recommend the pre-apprenticeship courses and TAFE Queensland’s teachers, and I got so much out of the training,” she said.

Lead Employment and Training Consultant at Ai Group (ATC), Jenni Southern, organised the program and said she was immensely proud of Madison and her classmates, who also gained meaningful outcomes.

“These programs are very important because they get students set up to work in the real world. They get skills taught at TAFE and then work in real workplaces to give them the confidence to join these industries, especially for women in male-dominated trades” Ms Southern said.

“A lot of the time this will give students a foot in the door of a business they had previously not had that chance, where they can prove themselves and achieve an employment outcome.”

“We had 12 students start this program, and had nine complete the course having earned their Certificate, and two unfortunately dropped out with medical conditions which is a great result.”

Madison and her peers on their final day of training.

“The completion rate from this program was due to the joint effort between Ai Group (ATC), TAFE Queensland, and the students. The teachers were fantastic and the students were committed to getting to the finish and Ai Group there to help them wherever needed,” she said.