Queensland’s Trainee of the Year Believes Traineeships Create More Opportunities For Indigenous Young People
Proud Aboriginal Woman and AFL SportsReady’s 2020 Trainee of the Year for Queensland, Tahlia Clowes, completed two traineeships with The Services Union and finished with a full time job. She believes traineeships create meaningful job opportunities for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people while at the same time encourages diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
“There is still a lot of discrimination and hurdles that indigenous people face on a daily basis so having organisations and people that provide opportunities to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people is amazing and beneficial to both the organisation and more importantly the young person,” said Tahlia.
“These opportunities also show how much support is out there and that there are places you can turn to. Being a participant of AFL SportsReady made me feel more secure and supported throughout the training than I have been anywhere else, and I wish for all young indigenous youths to experience these opportunities to see there is people out there who do and will help,” she added.
Tahlia’s Mob is Wakka Wakka, from the Southern and Western QLD region. Her country is located in the Burnett region and includes places such as Mount Perry, Nanango, Murgon and important cultural sites like Ban Ban Springs.
“I’m still learning about my heritage and I jump at every opportunity I get to interact with my elders, aunties and uncles so I can gain a better understanding of my tribe.
In 2017 Tahlia finished high school and wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue working or pursue further study so when the traineeship opportunity came about, and she realise she could do both, she jumped at the chance.
“I first completed a Certificate 3 in Business at The Services Union. Then went on to do a second traineeship with them but this time studied a Certificate 4 in Business.
In her traineeship, she was given the opportunity to work in different areas of the organisation including the membership team, finance team and the media and communications team.
“By having the opportunity to work alongside so many wonderful employees and work in so many different departments, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of how everything works but I also was able to gain a better understanding of my own strengths and weaknesses.”
Check out what else is happening at AFL SportsReady this NAIDOC week here.
DATE: 13th of November 2020
IMAGE: Tahlia with her award
AUTHOR: Marissa Pagliarello
