Congratulations Class of 2020 – you made it!

Published on 22 December 2020

In a special graduation ceremony at City Hall today, Rockhampton Regional Council celebrated the achievements of their trainees and apprentices.

This year 18 people finished the program, securing qualifications in Business Administration, Horticulture, Carpentry, Mechanics, and Electrical.

Acting Mayor Neil Fisher congratulated those graduating today and also acknowledged the Queensland Government First Start Funding program.

“You should all be very proud of your achievements and I hope that the connections you have made and the experiences you have gained will be with you well into the future.

“The First Start Funding program, which is proudly funded by the Queensland Government through its Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, has been supporting Council’s Apprentice and Traineeship program since 2016.

“In that time the program has supported almost 65 individuals to do their training at Rockhampton Regional Council.

Recruitment for the next Apprentice and Traineeship program for 2021 is well underway, Acting CEO Ross Cheesman said this year Council received a record number of applications.

“Each year we begin the recruitment process around September and we were very impressed with both the quantity and quality of applications for our 2021 intake,” Mr Cheesman said.

“Over 300 were shortlisted for an aptitude test and we are pleased to announce that we are well on our way to recruit 24 successful candidates to start with Council in 2021.

“These traineeships are not easy and in some cases last as long as three years.

“They are nationally recognised qualifications and will open lots of doors.

“We have a number of employees who started off as a trainee or apprentice and have continued to work and grow their careers with Council.”