Host Employer Blog – Managing a Trainee Through Lockdown

Host Employer Blog – Managing a Trainee Through Lockdown

Our ArtsReady Social Media Trainee, Dakota, has been on the team now for exactly 4 months. So far it has been an incredible journey and having Dakota on board has given our Marketing and Communications team a renewed sense of motivation and inspiration. Dakota has hit the ground running in her role and each day she becomes more confident in her abilities and witnessing this journey has been extremely rewarding as a supervisor.

Since Dakota has come on board, the state has been in and out of lockdown and despite not having the ability to catch up face to face or work together in an office, our connection is stronger than ever. Thanks to technology we catch up regularly on zoom for a check in, we speak on the phone – talking about work and un-work-related topics, we catch up with our whole team a few times a week and AFL SportsReady holds an all-staff virtual session fortnightly.

Dakota has adapted beautifully to the current situation, and aside from work we always ensure she is making time for breaks and self-care activities. The beauty of Dakota’s role is that everything can be done online with no limitations. Working at home allows Dakota and I to really focus on content creation and story writing and we have produced double the amount of content and stories through lockdown by having the ability to have a space where we can tune out of the world and delve into creation. Lockdown has not only allowed us to deliver more work and strengthen our connection, but it has also bolstered a sense of trust. I have full faith in Dakota, her work ethic, her abilities and so as a supervisor I haven’t felt uneasy or stressed, it’s been smooth sailing.

Dakota really has been nothing short of amazing. She brings a new, fresh, and youthful perspective to the team and this has really allowed us to connect more with our younger audience. She has taken the reigns of our Instagram channel and has been producing amazing content from funky graphics to slick videos for Instagram story. Thanks to Dakota’s work we have seen a rise in our followers!

She has been writing some amazing stories about our trainees. I can see her become more and more confident in her writing. Dakota is such a strong, powerful and authentic writer and her stories really reflect that. Especially when she writes about the achievements of our First Nations trainees, her passion for community shines through and it inspires readers. One of Dakota’s recent articles received over 1,300 likes on Facebook, a testament to her incredible storytelling. She also hosts zoom interviews with trainees on her own and asks her own terrific questions.

Dakota also takes on a myriad of other tasks such as organising our VIMEO channel and putting together email marketing campaigns. Helping with administrative jobs has supported our team so much as it allows us to focus on other heavy projects we have going on. She even hosted one of the virtual all-staff ‘Around the Grounds’ sessions – this was a HUGE achievement and staff across the country commended on how well she did! She was confident, radiant, and OWNED that session!

Dakota continues to thrive in her role and every day she only gets better and better! It’s been a real highlight in my seven years here at AFL SportsReady to be working alongside such a bright and inspiring woman. Can’t wait for the rest of our journey together!

For years I have been writing about the benefits trainees can have on supervisors and their workplaces, but now I get to experience it. The traineeship program really is a win-win for the host employer and the young person.


As part of our host and trainee blog series, Marissa and her trainee, Dakota, will be sharing their journey!

You can read the blog series here.

Click here to find out more about our traineeship program and the benefits of employing a young person in your business.

Eligible businesses could also benefit from a 50% wage subsidy thanks to the Australian Govt’s BAC funding scheme. Click here for more.

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