The newest cohort of Fresh Start Apprentices at Sutherland Shire Council were welcomed with a BBQ lunch at the Bath Road depot in Kirrawee in January.
Joining one of the largest cohorts of Fresh Start Apprenticeship cohorts, this group are one of the newest at Sutherland Shire Council but they won’t be the last! Pictured towards the front, alongside the Apprentices: Second from front row, left to right: Rudi Oppitz (USU, Wollongong office), Aarron Vann (USU, Wollongong office) Front row, left to right: Maryanne Stuart MP (Member for Heathcote), Cr. Jack Boyd (Mayor, Sutherland Shire Council), Graeme Kelly OAM (General Secretary, USU).
Sutherland Shire Council has one of the biggest cohorts of Fresh Start Apprentices, which demonstrates Mayor Jack Boyd’s enthusiastic support for this program, which is the product of 3 years of tireless campaigning by your union.
Every apprenticeship is another local job for a local person
The Fresh Start Program is a $252M NSW state government funded program bringing tons of new apprenticeships, cadetships and traineeships to local government. In just a few short years, the program has brought hundreds of new apprentice, trainee and cadetships into local councils across the state.
This newest group of Fresh Start Apprentices met their local Member, Maryanne Stuart MP, USU General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM and their USU organiser, Rudi Oppitz as well as a few of the nearly 20 workplace delegates we have at Sutherland Shire Council.
While every apprentice who attended the BBQ was given information about union membership, we were chuffed to discover quite a few had already joined or were planning to once they’d been paid[1].
Once everyone had eaten a sausage sando or ten, they were formally welcomed aboard by Cr Boyd. Maryanne spoke about her experiences as a young TAFE student, her early working life and the importance of joining your union – especially as a young worker.
The closing speech was made by our own Graeme Kelly OAM, who congratulated the apprentices and reflected on his almost 50 years in NSW local government.
It gives me no greater pleasure than to see what I’m seeing today. Honestly, probably one of the highlights of my 36 years with the union to see this, it’s sensational. Congratulations, enjoy your time in local government, I hope you stay on as long as I have – 50 years, next year! This industry has given me everything in life: I’ve raised a family, travelled, bought a home – all off the back of a job that you know is going to be there, every day, if you treat it right’.
[1] Did you know? New members can join on the spot, request their first fee payment be deducted up to 10 days in advance and still be covered from the date they joined (excludes journey to work insurance, which will kick in from the date of first fee payment).
From left to right: Rudi Oppitz (USU Wollongong office, Organiser); Jordan Lewis-Stark (SSC delegate, member of Southern BCOM); Graeme Kelly OAM (USU General Secretary); Aarron Vann (USU Wollongong office, Organiser). Back Row: Wayne Bush (SSC delegate, member of Southern BCOM).
One of our Sutherland Shire Council delegates, Jordan Lewis-Stark, talking to USU General Secretary Graeme Kelly OAM at the Fresh Start Apprentices Welcome BBQ at the SSC Bath Road Kirrawee Depot.
