Cup winning stable says YEP to employment initiative

December 5, 2022 BY Tim Bottams

Sense of workplace: Andy Ladiges has been working at Ciaron Maher Racing since April, and was initially hired through Headspace Ballarat’s youth employment program. Photo: SUPPLIED

BALLARAT Headspace’s youth employment program, or YEP, has been trotted out at one of the region’s top thoroughbred stables.

Melbourne Cup winning Ciaron Maher Racing is one of the businesses taking part in the initiative which is aimed at securing tailored employment for people aged between 15 and 25.

Through the YEP initiative, participant Andy Ladiges has been working at the Ciaron Maher stables for more than seven months during which she’s received a traineeship with the employer.

With an interest in veterinary nursing, she said the program helped her take the first steps towards her chosen career path.

“The Headspace Ballarat team helped place me where my hobby is now my work,” she said.

“I had never considered this could be a job, but here I am, working with horses, doing what I love every day.

“I’ve tried other job agencies before and none have supported me the way Headspace has. They care about me and my interests, not just the placement of someone in a job.

“This has been a personalised experience and working with the [Headspace team] has been a thousand times more helpful than my other experience in the job-seeker system.”

The YEP initiative is aimed at offering individualised employment guidance suited to the participant’s workplace interests.

According to a Headspace Ballarat estimate, 58 people have been given work experience or placement opportunities through the YEP initiative since it began earlier this year.

Ciaron Maher Racing’s human resource officer Megan Tippet said the program has led to them receiving a valuable addition to their workforce.

“Andy joined CMR… with limited horse experience and has now found herself as one of our go-to employees for anything,” she said.

“We have enrolled Andy in a certificate III in racing (stablehand) to develop her skills further and experience… which is a testament to her dedication and love for the horses.

“Working with Headspace has helped us identify new talent in the community and to bring new people into the industry.”