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Eight Indigenous trainees take the next step in their civil construction careers

May 20, 2019

Congratulations to our eight Indigenous trainees who have graduated with a Certificate II in Civil Construction (Road Construction Maintenance), while working with our customer RoadTek.

Our Programmed Training Services team have been partnering with RoadTek for more than 10 years.

RoadTek, a branch of the Department of Transport and Main Roads, provide a range of transport infrastructure solutions throughout Queensland, including civil construction and maintenance, electrical and intelligent transport services, line marking and emergency response to disruptive events and infrastructure failures.

They currently host 25 of our full-time apprentices and trainees throughout Queensland who are studying: civil construction, electrical, diesel fitting and administration.

In 2018, we worked with RoadTek to develop and roll out an Indigenous training program in South East Queensland.

Nine Indigenous Australians (three women and six men) started their 12 month traineeship in April 2018, working towards a Certificate II in Civil Construction Road Construction Maintenance.

Eight of our trainees successfully obtained their qualification last month. In addition to the Certificate II, they also gained tickets and licences in Elevating Work Platforms (EWP), traffic control, confined spaces and Medium Rigid (MR) heavy vehicles. These skills and qualifications will serve our trainees well into their future careers in the civil construction industry.

We hosted a graduation day in April to celebrate our trainees’ achievements, attended by representatives from RoadTek and Programmed.

The program has been successful with seven of our trainees continuing their studies to complete a Certificate III in Civil Construction, six employed through Programmed and hosted at RoadTek and one offered a full-time position by RoadTek.

Three of the trainees have been nominated in the Queensland Training Awards for outstanding commitment and positive attitudes towards their traineeship. They are nominated in the ‘Aboriginal Student of the Year’ and ‘Bob Marshman Trainee of the year’ categories.

Programmed field officer Rachael Quinlan said that our trainees had faced various challenges over the course of their training but had soldiered on with true dedication to their studies.

“Challenges came in various forms,” Ms Quinlan said.

“Some of the trainees were completely new to the industry and some had little to no skills in construction.

“We also had extreme weather in QLD with floods, storms, hail, drought and high temperatures over the last 12 months.

“Despite this, our trainees were committed to making the most of the traineeship and to upskill and gain long-term employment. I have been extremely proud to have been a part of their journey and I look forward to continuing to support them through their new qualification in the next 12 months.”

Programmed will continue to work with RoadTek to identify additional opportunities for the Queensland Indigenous community. We have since expanded the program to offer Certificate III in Civil Construction traineeships for projects in Toowoomba, Rockhampton and Winton. 

RoadTek general manager Bill Lansbury said the program boosted the skills and confidence of the eight trainees to position them for a career in the construction industry.

“We’re pleased to have provided training and employment outcomes for these Indigenous trainees to set them up for success,” Mr Lansbury said.

“We look forward to providing ongoing opportunities in the future.”


As Australia’s largest provider of trades and technical workforces, Programmed is proud to be nurturing the workforce of the future by delivering specialised training services.

Programmed Training Services is both a Group Training Organisation (GTO) and Registered Training Organisation (RTO 110043). We assist customers in upskilling their workforce through technical and vocational skills training.

If you’d like to talk more about a specialised training program for your organisation, contact us

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