15 Indigenous job seekers were selected to participate in a Maritime Operations program, thanks to a collaboration between Asuria, Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group, and Tribal Warrior, exploring new job and career opportunities on Sydney’s waterways following a special graduation ceremony aboard the Mari Nawi on Sydney Harbour.
At the event attended by friends, family, and special guests on Wednesday 6th December 2022, each of the graduates was presented with a certificate of recognition for participating in the program, which included a Cert I in Maritime Operations (General Purpose Hand), Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and First Aid (delivered by TAFE).
Having commenced in November 2022, the qualifications were the culmination of four weeks’ hands-on training with Tribal Warrior aboard the Mari Nawi and Lady Northcott, which included assisting with routine maintenance, applying basic survival skills, firefighting, and working as part of a crew.
Asuria and Babana Aboriginal will now continue to work with the program’s participants to facilitate their passage into employment, with a commitment to placing 90% of those who have completed the course into jobs within six weeks.
That effort has been given a significant boost thanks to a commitment from NRMA Group to begin exploring job opportunities with new graduates across its fleets and wharfs in Greater Sydney.
Mark Bailey from Marrickville graduating from the program says of his participation in the course: “The past four weeks have been life-changing, giving me a chance to learn a bunch of new skills and set myself up for jobs that I couldn’t have even dreamed of getting before I joined the course.”
Con Kittos, Executive Chairman at Asuria, adds: “Seeing the huge leaps that these hard-working Indigenous men and women have made in the past month is a real testament to the power of courses such as these to help motivated job seekers to reach for job and career opportunities that might otherwise have been beyond their reach.”
Michael Betteridge, General Manager, Tourism Development at NRMA Group, which will be working with the graduates to fill various positions with its Manly Fast Ferry and Fantasea Cruises businesses, adds: “Providing a much-needed source of recruitment support and training, the Maritime Operations Program is incredibly important for businesses such as ours, and we’re looking forward to welcoming as many of today’s graduates as we can accommodate into roles they have proven they are ready to take on.”
Mark Spinks, Chairperson of Babana Aboriginal and Tribal Warrior adds: “Being given the chance to become part of the distinguished maritime industry represents a once in a lifetime opportunity for so many of today’s graduates, and we’re looking forward to following them on their next steps into employment."
Tribal Warrior Aboriginal Corporation is the only Indigenous Maritime Training Company operating within Australia. Their specialised training programs are all facilitated by qualified Maritime trainers (OTEN).
Asuria, Babana Aboriginal, Tribal Warrior, and the NRMA Group are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of the participants to complete the program and we look forward to facilitating their passage into employment on Sydney's waterways.
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