A group of committed young Indigenous people gained an insight into a career in food retail this week as part of an initiative by the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys, with the support of community partners including Coles.
“Learn to Earn is a new program established by the Cowboys in partnership with the Federal Government to give skills training and exposure to employment opportunities to Indigenous people still determining their career pathways,” Cowboys community relations manager Fiona Pelling said.
“We are currently undertaking three qualification courses with the objective of an employment outcome – a Certificate II in Agriculture, a Certificate III in Hospitality and a Certificate III in Warehousing.
“Once the participants have successfully completed their training, which includes an intensive work experience component, we continue to work with them to gain employment in their chosen direction.”
Two students from the warehousing course this week used their new skills on the job at a work experience placement at the Coles supermarket at Thuringowa Central.
“Coles is committed to lifting our employment of Indigenous people nationwide as part of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan,” Coles North Queensland regional manager Craig Cornish said.
“This great initiative is not only giving these young people job-ready skills but also enables them to experience what it’s like to work at Coles and the opportunities we can provide.”
Visiting the students on-the-job at Coles Thuringowa Central, Cowboys NRL squad member Javid Bowen said: “Getting work can be pretty challenging unless you have the skills and qualifications that employers want.
"It’s great to see that Learn to Earn can give these kids an opportunity to gain valuable work experience."
