Twelve enthusiastic students from Newman Senior Technical College officially began their school-based traineeships with St Agnes’ Catholic Parish on Wednesday, 14 May 2025, marking the start of an exciting chapter in their educational and professional journeys.

The traineeship program is a collaborative effort between the Parish, Newman Senior Technical College, and Parish service managers. Students select their preferred fields and are thoughtfully matched to roles that align with their interests and strengths. In Year 11, trainees work one day per week, increasing to two days in Year 12, all while completing their Higher School Certificate (HSC).

The trainees began their first day began with an orientation session at the Emmaus Village Community Centre, led by the Parish’s Human Resources (HR) team.

Rebecca Percival, HR Advisor, introduced the students to the Parish’s mission, values, and the wide range of services it offers—from aged care and early childhood education to behind-the-scenes operations like finance, marketing, and HR. She also guided them through workplace expectations, rostering, and key policies.

Karen Crombie, Nurse Educator, provided an overview of mandatory training and compliance requirements, ensuring the trainees are well-prepared for their roles in both aged care and early childhood settings.

After orientation, the trainees were transported to their allocated sites:

• Three in early childhood education (two at Joey’s House, one at St Joseph’s Preschool and Long Daycare)
• Eight in aged care (two at St Agnes’, five at Emmaus Home and one at Emmaus Village)
• One with Parish Administration in the ICT team

The program not only equips students with valuable qualifications but also opens doors to future employment.

Each year, staff across St Agnes’ Catholic Parish are excited to welcome the new trainees.

Colleen Banks, Residential Service Manager at Emmaus, shared how much residents look forward to the energy and fresh perspective the students bring.

“Our residents and staff always look forward to our student trainees beginning their work placements – it is wonderful to see how they develop and the relationships they form throughout their traineeships”, says Colleen.

As evidence of the program’s potential to launch meaningful careers, Colleen highlighted the success of several former aged care trainees, such as:

• Mischa Kennedy and Ruby Taylor, who gained employment as care support workers with the Parish and are now studying to gain qualifications, respectively, as a Registered Nurse (RN) and an Enrolled Nurse EN).
• Sally Cutcliffe completed a traineeship with the Parish and now works as a qualified RN at Emmaus Home.
• Sophie Martin who currently works in the Rostering team, is just about to complete her RN training.
• Amelia Weatherley, Isabella Tarpey and Bella MacCullagh are all engaged in further study while working in aged care with the Parish.

St Agnes’ Catholic Parish takes great pleasure in welcoming the students who make up this year’s intake of school-based trainees and wishes them well in their endeavours.