Sunshine Coast garages are crazy about Kevin

A young Sunshine Coast man enrolled in a State Government funded automotive industry employment course has faced the pleasant dilemma of having to choose between two employers offering him an apprenticeship on the same day.

Eighteen-year-old Kevin West of Nambour chose to accept a position at Gavan Johnson Mechanical at Nambour where he is now employed as an apprentice mechanic with a sound future in front of him.

Kevin is one of 10 young people who will graduate shortly from a Get Set for Work ‘Welcome to the Workshop’ automotive course, conducted by Quest Aid in Maroochydore with a government grant of $119,950.

Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek said the project demonstrates the sense of placing funds in the hands of community organisations well equipped to run employment projects in their local regions.

“Across the State right now we have more than 70 Get Set for Work projects being run by funded community organisations like Quest Aid Inc.,” Mr Langbroek said.

“All of these projects are achieving these types of successes, taking young people who for various reasons have not finished school and who have faced difficulty breaking into work.

“Through a relatively short training process of usually less than six months they are turning out work ready people who will soon be contributing to the State’s wealth.

“In this case Quest Aid Inc. is funded to train two intakes this year with the second intake to commence shortly.

“And even before this project has finished I believe four young people including a young female mechanic, Gemma Heard, have been placed in apprenticeships as a direct result of participating in this course, and the other six trainees now have improved chances of finding work.

“May I congratulate both the participants and also Quest Aid Inc. for their role in bringing this, their first group of trainees under GSFW, successfully through the project,” Mr Langbroek said.

Friday’s graduation will be held at Alltype Diesel Services, 4 Service Street, Maroochydore at 3.00pm.

Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson said she congratulated　 the 10 graduates and　　was delighted to see money being spent　in her electorate to　help young people get　a job.

“Government funds spent on training young people in work skills is definately money well-spent,” Ms Simpson said.

Project Coordinator Rebekkah Parsons said Kevin West was very deserving of the success he has achieved.

“Kevin is a great young man who has worked really hard and did a very good job,” Ms Parsons said.

“He completed over 200 hours of vocational work and actually accepted his apprenticeship from the garage where he did his work experience – he really earned it by going above and beyond what was expected of him.

“We started the project with eleven and finished with 10, of whom eight will complete their Certificate level subjects, with four already in apprenticeships, one working in hospitality/retail, and another two will likely move into apprenticeships.

“The course has really worked for all these young people as even in the case of those who did not end up completing their automotive training, they are now much more work ready and have more direction,” Ms Parsons said.

The funding was provided under the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative which will invest $104 million to assist an estimated 24,000 people in 2011/12.

For more information on Skilling Queenslanders for Work, visit www.employment.qld.gov.au or call 1300 369 925.