A new ANU traineeship program is giving Indigenous Australians the chance to find a career.

When people ask Rob Wighton about his job is at the Chifley Library he jokingly tells them he wanders amongst the books and students with a big sign that says ‘Ssshh.’

Until June last year, the last time the softly spoken 37-year-old Queanbeyan resident had stepped foot inside a library was when he was at school. Now, eight months into his a two-year traineeship, he’s on his way to a long-term career.
Wighton, originally from Condobolin, is one of eight participants in the University’s new Indigenous Workplace Preparation and Experience Program which sees Indigenous people offered traineeships in a wide range of areas across the campus.
It’s an opportunity that Wighton is relishing although he never saw himself working in a library.

“I worked for nine years in the taxation office before getting redundancy, plus I did security work and worked for the department of transport,” he says.

“With this program I’ll get to do a Certificate III in Library/Information Studies, so hopefully I’ll get a full-time job out of it. I’m really enjoying it.”

Wighton’s was one of 28 applications received for the first intake under the program. After sifting through the applications, the successful were invited for a week’s intensive training and to get a taste of life on campus.
But nothing could have prepared him for those first-day anxieties on the job. “The first day was pretty intense and scary,” Wighton says.

“The last time I was in a library was when I was at school, so I was on the back foot.”

Now, a third of the way through his traineeship, he has settled in to the challenges offered on a daily basis.
“I get in around 7.40am and there is a list of activities for me for the day. I could be working on the counter or dealing with fines – there were a lot of fines paid in the last week once people had graduated. You’re certainly not doing the same job every day.”

But the job isn’t the only thing that he enjoys about the program – he also appreciates that it allows him to form friendships with other Indigenous Australians.
“There are two people from Queensland, one from Bourke, one from Arnhem Land and two from the local area,” he says.

“We get to listen to their stories and hear about their different culture, plus it’s good to see Indigenous people working together and we’ve grown closer as a group.
“At one of the meetings I was asked what my job was. I told them that I walk around all day with a big sign that says ‘Ssshh’ – so that’s what they think I do now,” he jokes.
As well as on-the-job training and undertaking the Certificate III qualification, Wighton enjoys the regular meetings with the other trainees and a mentoring program that ensures any issues he may have in adapting to his new role are easily and quickly dealt with.

“We have one day a month where we (the group) get together with elders and mentors and talk about what’s going on. There are always issues to address,” he says.
The combination of support from the group and backing from the work area and supervisors is crucial to the program’s success, according to Mary Sharf. A Senior Consultant in the Staff Development Branch of the Central HR Division, Sharf has been working with another of the trainees who has been doing an administrative support role.

“The program is a great idea and it’s great that they also have the additional support of being part of a group,” she says.

“There is a lot to learn but we’ve been mindful (with our trainee) about what we give him to do and we don’t just throw him in at the deep end.

“As an employer we’re giving people the opportunity to find where they’re best suited as they get to work in different areas. It’s nice to see that you’re growing somebody into the organisation.”

For Wighton, taking part in the program is something that he would recommend to other Indigenous Australians.
“It’s a great opportunity. Because of this I now know what I’m doing, I have a future.

“I’d tell people considering applying to go for it. It’s a great way to get your foot in the door and could lead to anything.”
And his favourite part of his new job?

“The ladies in the library come and have a yarn with you and you get to meet a lot of people when you’re working on the front counter. I’m not a real big talker, but I’m okay with the one-liners,” he says.

^^

ANU Reporter 
Summer 2008