Challenge, opportunity and experience for council trainees

MADDY Love, Olivia Harwood and Sheanda Chew freely admit they didn’t know much about local government when they started their traineeship programs with the City of Ballarat.

“One of the most exciting things about joining the council is you get to see what is happening behind the scenes and how much council do to actually run the city,” Ms Love said.

Ms Harwood agreed, “the biggest challenge at the beginning for me was I had not one bit of knowledge about the council whatsoever or what they did.”

The City of Ballarat’s Business Services Unit is strongly supporting the town’s traineeship programs.

The trainees are moved around to gain experience within the diverse areas of the council’s business services unit during the year-long program.

Lorraine Sendall, Executive Assistant, Director Business Services said the program gives young workers who don’t want to go to university, a chance to put in for a traineeship position.

“It offers them a breakthrough coming straight from secondary school,” she said.

There is a key selection criteria and a formal interview process for all traineeship applicants.

Ms Sendall said they are paid positions, though “not very much.”

“There are definitely no promises [of a full-time position at the end of the traineeship] but there are always lots of positions coming up throughout the council.”

The structure allows the trainee to consider what unit they might like to work in, if a vacancy arises at the completion of their traineeship, and for the business unit to be able gauge their abilities during the program.

Both Ms Love and Ms Harwood, having completed their traineeships, are now full-time employees at the council and confirmed exponents of the program.

Ms Chew, who started her traineeship this year, said, “Although I didn’t know much about council, I’ve learnt a lot since I have been here but there is still so much stuff to learn.”