From Trainee to Elected Member at Campbelltown City Council

Thanks to her ArtsReady traineeship with the City of Unley Council in SA, Luci Blackborough, not only found her calling, to work in Marketing Communications, but at the age of 18, she was elected to Campbelltown City Council as SA’s youngest councillor during the 2018 Local Government Elections.

Luci credits her 2-year traineeship during high-school for sparking her interest in Local Government and encouraging her to pursue her interest in community service. She was subsequently named 2017 Trainee of the Year by her employer and training provider, AFL SportsReady.

“I had no idea what was in store for me when I first applied to be a trainee, I just knew that it was a brilliant opportunity that I needed to apply for. Little did I know that it would change my life for the better –and form the basis of the path I’m on today!” Said Luci. 

Luci saw the traineeship opportunity as an excellent way to help give her some direction as to what her career might be. In her role at Council she worked on the Community Development team while studying at Certificate III in Business, however her supervisor allowed her to explore other departments.

“I was really fortunate to have a supervisor who encouraged me to pick other departments of Council to do work experience with, towards the end of my traineeship. As part of this, I chose to work with the Communications team at Council, and it was there that I really found my calling.” 

Immediately, Luci was drawn to the Communications side of things and saw this area as something that she could see herself working in. She knew at that moment this was what she wanted to study after completing her traineeship.

“My traineeship guided my decision of what to study at university and now I am studying full-time at the University of South Australia, completing my Bachelor of Marketing and Communication.”

Something else that ignited Luci’s interest during her traineeship was working for the local Government.  

“Working for Council allowed me to see and understand more about local governments and that ultimately led to me running for Council in my own area (Campbelltown Council) and being elected for a four-year term.” 

Luci firmly believes the on the job learning she received played a key role in giving her direction towards her future.

“Being immersed in a workplace through a traineeship is completely different to other forms of tertiary education; you learn so many valuable things, and it’s a great way to build up a professional network and your interpersonal skills. 

“When I’ve applied for jobs, prospective employers have cared far less about the Business III qualification and far more about the 2 years of workplace experience.” 

As well as studying full-time, Luci is working as Marketing Manager for Stric as well as providing admin support for the City of Unley Council. 

“I’m yet to be working full time, but I firmly believe that without my traineeship, I wouldn’t be an Elected Member for Campbelltown Council, nor would I be studying Marketing and Communications, and enjoying both so much.” 

There is no doubt this amazing 20-year-old will continue to achieve great things.

#realskillsforrealcareers

Date: 18th September 2020

Image: Luci Blackborough

Author: Marissa Pagliarello