Pilot program takes off

Mosman Council’s inaugural Cadetship and Traineeship Program is providing three students real-world workplace skills in competitive industries after they successfully gained a prized place in the pilot program which gives them a head-start on pursuing a career in engineering, the arts or community services. 

“This is a wonderful initiative with Council providing valuable workplace experience and skills which will help forge their careers and the inaugural intake of trailblazing students is impressive,” Mosman Mayor Carolyn Corrigan said.

Traineeships are offered to those looking to study at a certificate or diploma level for the duration of their course, typically one to two years, while the two-year cadetship is available for university students in their penultimate or final year, enabling them to continue their higher education qualification while gaining direct work experience in their field of study through a combination of work-based learning, training and assessment.

“I’ve been working across several engineering-related projects and it’s been a very interesting experience which will help me determine my future engineering career pathway,” Engineering Trainee Heidi Skerman said.

Mosman Art Gallery Trainee Keira Grundy joined the gallery for her gap-year and has been helping hang exhibitions, preparing e-newsletters and meeting high-profile artists.

“This traineeship is really valuable because I gain real-life experience while pursuing my passion for the arts in a dream job,” she said.

Community Services Cadet Emily Slapp is supporting seniors and will move onto helping Council’s volunteers as well as spending time in youth, community connections and children and families services.

“I’ve enjoyed the balance between administrative work and supporting local residents and it has been very rewarding helping them to connect with important online services,” Emily said.

Several Mosman Council staff started their careers through similar programs, including Acting Senior Civil Engineer Kent Tanaka who joined the organisation as an undergraduate engineer in 2011.

Council hopes to have up to four staff engaged in the Cadet and Traineeship Program across various departments on an ongoing basis.

_{L to R: Community Services Cadet Emily Slapp with Engineering Trainee Heidi Skerman and Mosman Art Gallery Trainee Keira Grundy}