GARDENING is a daily discipline at Jimboomba’s Community Garden, where a joint government and community initiative is arming trainees with the skills they need to re-enter and stay in the workforce.
Auspiced by Acacia Ridge Community Support Inc as part of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program, the project includes a paid work skills traineeship in which participants attain a Cert I in Conservation and Land Management on completion.
According to Raelee Vearing, program coordinator at Acacia Ridge Community Support, the initiative is for people with a genuine interest and a passion for gardening or conservation.
“This group is working for 20 weeks. They started on the 2nd of May and they’ll finish on the 15th of September, and then we have another intake from early October,” she said.
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“In the first intake we had over fifty people at the info session, and we had to pick 12 trainees, so it’s quite competitive.
“We look for people who are interested but also willing to commit and do the work.
“Barb’s here, the trainer from Greening Australia. We partner with RTOs that deliver the qualification, so she’s here today doing the training on chemical spraying.”
Ms Vearing said after two-and-a-half days on spraying, the current group was now doing a written test and assessment in practical application.
“The rest of us have been potting up seeds in the nursery. There’s a real variety of jobs that we do here.”
Work skills
According to Ms Vearing, the traineeship is not just about learning horticultural skills.
“We help them with their resume writing and cover letters, and then the job application process,” she said.
“We hold mock interviews so that people can learn how to present themselves. If they can’t get to an interview, we will drive them there and support them, and that goes on for three months, technically, but I still have trainees coming back to have a chat.
“It’s about changing the mindset, coming to work every day and being a good team member, following instructions, putting in a good effort.
“These guys are always on time, this is a good group.”
Multicultural opportunity
According to trainee Shahnila Sarfraz, the program offers opportunities for people of all backgrounds.
“We have three continents here,” she told the Times.
“I’m Asian, these people are African, and we have Australians.”
On a typical day, trainees start early, Ms Sarfraz said.
“First of all we do ‘toolbox talk’, then we plan our whole day, and then Georgie divides us into groups and we start our work.
“We start at 7.30 and we finish at 3.30 every day.”
Good returns
Member for Logan Linus Power said government reinstated the program due to the outcomes it previously achieved.
“Acacia Ridge Community Support Inc is one of many providers of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program,” he said.
“The reason we brought it back is that there was a great return in terms of people who did the program getting into jobs.
“It’s not just about the training, because some won’t go on to work in conservation, agriculture or gardening, it’s about showing a future employer new skills and experience.
“Sometimes I go to their graduations and half the class has had to take leave from work, or they’re working,” he said.
College support
According to Ms Vearing, the garden was opened in 2014 in the grounds of Hills International College at Jimboomba after the sod was turned in 2013.
“Hills College are very supportive of the community garden,” she said.
“We use the land here with their blessing. We take care of the surrounding grounds as well. They provide the water and we collect water in the tanks.
“We have a great relationship with Hills, we’re very thankful.”
“Come down to the garden and meet us. We like to have visitors from 8am to 2pm on weekdays, and we’re here on the first and third Sunday of the month for working bees from 8am to 12pm.”
Anyone wanting to participate in the Jimboomba Community Garden or apply for the October Skilling Queenslanders for Work intake, contact Raelee Vearing on 0423 418 709, or go to the garden Facebook page facebook.com/JimboombaCommunityGarden/.