Biripi and Worimi school students from across the Manning Great Lakes are creating a bush tucker garden at TAFE NSW Taree while learning conservation methods to care for our local ecosystems into the future.
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The 10 students are school-based trainees undertaking a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management and hail from Chatham and Taree high schools and Great Lakes Senior College, Tuncurry.
Six months into the traineeship job prospects are stronger than ever for the trainees with the Federal government announcing last month, more than $746 million over seven years will provide ongoing support for more than 1900 Indigenous jobs in conservation.
I am able to complete my HSC while also getting qualified in the industry I want to work in and with that I'll have a better chance at landing a job after my studies.
- Taree High School student, Taye Cochrane
The two-year traineeship contributes towards their HSC and the program will enable the participants to apply for a range of jobs in the industry upon completion such as land rehabilitation worker, national parks field officer, pest control assistant, soil conservation assistant, and landcare assistant.
Seventeen-year-old Taree High School student, Taye Cochrane said this program was the best of both worlds.
"I am able to complete my HSC while also getting qualified in the industry I want to work in and with that I'll have a better chance at landing a job after my studies," he said.
"There are a lot of career avenues I can pursue with a TAFE NSW qualification in conservation, I've always known I want to work in nature and do something with my hands. I enjoy learning about the land and how to look after it."
The bush tucker garden will feature a yarning circle, a fire pit for cultural activities, and plants that help tell a dreamtime story.
Horticulture teacher, Sean Ploder is teaching the class using the on-campus bush tucker garden along with the landscapes in the Manning Great Lakes as their training ground.
"Aboriginals have shown to have an intimate connection to the land and this training provided by TAFE NSW coupled with the work experience from TIDE will give the students the ability to work on country.
"The trainees will participate in wildlife monitoring, pest and weed programs, tree planting, heritage protection works, and promoting the important environmental and cultural values of these Aboriginal places to visitors."
To find out more about agriculture courses at TAFE NSW, visit www.tafensw.edu.au, or call 131 601.
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