Women are dominating Bass Coast Shire Council's traineeship and apprenticeship program with females making up almost two-thirds of recruits.
Data shows that of the 108 trainees and apprentices recruited by Council over the lifetime of the program, 68 women were employed across a range of disciplines including arboriculture, customer service, finance, horticulture and the roads team. This compares to 40 men.
For over 20 years, Council has offered traineeships and apprenticeships to people in the region, providing pathways into long-term employment in local government. In 2023, the council extended its training opportunities with VCE Vocational Major and school-based traineeships.
Trainees receive the same flexible working benefits as staff, as well as access to apply for internal vacancies, with hopes of securing permanent employment after completing their course.
Bass Coast Mayor Cr Michael Whelan said along with Council's commitment to gender equality and combating climate change, providing career opportunities and a sense of community belonging was also high on its agenda.
"Promoting gender equality and encouraging greater participation of women in local government is of paramount importance to Bass Coast Shire Council," Cr Whelan said.
"Importantly, we are making headway as a sought-after employer of women, with females making up almost 70 per cent - or 16 of our 23 trainees - appointed in the past three years.
"Bass Coast Shire Council is now regarded as an employer of choice, with a large number of trainees continuing employment with us well past their traineeship or apprenticeship period, and many promoted to more senior roles."
This year, five of the six trainees are females.
Tamikah Greenland, 19, graduated from Bass Coast College last year and pursued her passion for people, taking up a customer service and visitor experience traineeship this year.
"The care and respect I have for this area had a lot to do with why I applied for my traineeship," Tamikah said.
"I have always lived in our beautiful Bass Coast and am very proud to now be a part of this council, helping to give a voice and support to the community.
"This job is busy and varied. From passing on concerns and requests from members of the public, to registering a pet, or lodging a planning permit, no two days are the same. I'm very driven to provide customers with positive and informative experiences, acknowledging that being their first point of contact means first impressions matter."
Sarah Barrot, 24, moved from Ocean Grove on the Bellarine Peninsula to take up a tourism and business development traineeship.
"I am passionate about tourism after volunteering in the industry, so I jumped at the chance to learn and develop through a traineeship that I hadn't seen offered in my local area," Sarah said.
"I am loving working with the Bass Coast Shire Council in the business support and events teams, and I'm very excited to be involved in projects like the Bass Coast Business Awards and the Ken Hore Tourism Mentoring Program to expand my knowledge of the sector."
Mature age finance trainee Emily Richardson, who has a hearing impairment, reached out to Council last year for work opportunities and took up a traineeship as an introduction into corporate work.
"I applied for the finance traineeship so I can combine work and study. It's a good opportunity to develop my future career and to be a part of this wonderful community."
Traineeship applications for 2024 open later this year. Students can reach out to [email protected] at any time to find out about opportunities for next year.
