Business
12 March, 2021
Building a career in civil construction
DEVELOPMENT for the long-awaited, multimillion dollar East Trinity eco-tourism project has commenced, kick-starting the careers of five civil construction trainees and providing employment opportunities for hundreds more.
Stage one of the six-stage, $40 million Mandingalbay Yidinji Eco Cultural Infrastructure Tourism Project started in January and is expected to create about 300 jobs in the community during the construction phase.
Post construction up to 120 small business and employment opportunities will also be created.
At completion, the project will include three towers - each with their own special attraction and connected by meandering boardwalks, as well as restaurants, a shopping precinct and adrenaline pumping activities like zip lines between towers two and three.
Mandingalbay Yidinji Aboriginal Corporation IPA Tourism and Infrastructure Manager Dewayne Mundraby said the five civil construction trainees were just the start of the benefits the project would bring to the local community.
“It’s exciting in that what we’ll be wanting to do is to become part of the economic region and provide an opportunity for our community and the wider community to be engaged in employment, and also developing small business which will strengthen the region, as well as coordinating the benefits to existing operators,” Mr Mundraby said.
The trainees, who are also Mandingalbay Yidinji traditional owners, signed their contracts on Monday and are the region’s first civil construction trainees for Cairns’ only 100 percent Indigenous owned employer, Australian Training Works (ATW).
ATW focuses on helping Indigenous youth secure careers in administration, community services, IT and construction.
Managing Director Tony Martens said the project would provide career opportunities in a boom industry for the trainees.
“Civil construction encompasses a whole range of different civil type activities like road construction and you can specialize in bridge building, you can specialize in pipe laying,” Mr Martens said.
“They will get a bit of an entree on a whole range of different areas of civil.”
Trainee Jabulam Mundraby said he was excited to have a role that allowed him to work on country as well as gain a career.
“It’s pretty good landing (this role) cause we’re working on country at the same time and we’re all traditional owners from around that area,” Mr Mundraby said.
The trainees will undertake their Certificate II in Civil Construction during the first stage of the project, to be completed by June, then transitioned onto their Certificate III to become fully qualified in the field.
