City of Newcastle double 2024 trainee and apprenticeships

City of Newcastle (CN) has boosted its annual apprentice and trainee intake for 2024 with 18 roles on offer to help people take their first career steps.

Recruitment has begun for a range of early career positions, with roles available across various sectors including greenkeeping, civil construction, carpentry, heavy vehicle mechanics, information technology, customer service and digital marketing.

Four positions have been targeted towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as part of our commitment to our Aboriginal Employment Strategy.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said she looked forward to welcoming even more faces as part of the expanded 2024 cohort, bringing the total number of apprentices, trainees, graduates and undergraduates currently employed with CN to more than 50.

"City of Newcastle is committed to being a diverse, inclusive and culturally welcoming employer of choice and has doubled the number of opportunities on offer this year, compared to last year, to give more people starting out a leg up," Cr Nelmes said.

"This year, we've also increased the number of positions targeted towards individuals who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, aligning with our commitment to bridge the gap in Indigenous employment across the organisation.”

Twenty-six-year-old Shanden Mills is nine months into completing a dual apprenticeship in landscaping and arboriculture as part of CN's Trainee and Apprentice program, based at its Kotara Nursery.

“I sought out apprenticeship opportunities and the program CN offered really stood out,” he said.

"I'm really enjoying learning new skills like how to use a chainsaw safely from an elevated work platform and eventually conquering my fear of heights.

"I’ve been getting my hands dirty helping to plant, prune and maintain more than 2,000 trees across the LGA as part of our annual tree planting program and working on projects like Orchardtown Road's Local Centre upgrade.

"CN also offers the option to work a nine-day fortnight, which allows me a day to study and complete my TAFE course work."

Shanden is learning under the supervision of CN's City Greening Coordinator Tahn Woolmer, who started out in horticulture as a CN apprentice 21 years ago.

“It's very rewarding training up-and-coming apprentices over three or four years and then seeing many of them secure a full-time position," Mr Woolmer said.

“I'd encourage anyone starting out or looking for a career change to consider applying for an apprenticeship or trainee role, as there are plenty of opportunities on offer."

Successful applicants under the program will begin work on 29 January 2024.

Applications are now open and close on Sunday 24 September 2023.

Visit City of Newcastle's Employment Opportunities webpage for more information.