Narrogin’s Clontarf students take excursion to explore employment opportunities in water industry

Narrogin Senior High School’s Clontarf Foundation students gained insight into the water industry during an excursion to the Bottle Creek Dam and water pump station. A group of seven Year 10-12 students visited the Water Corporation’s facility to learn about the water supply scheme and what it takes to become a water supply operator. The excursion was a part of the Clontarf Foundation and Water Corporation’s partnership to promote career opportunities within the industry. Since 2008, 34 Clontarf students have graduated from the traineeship, apprenticeship and graduates programs and five students are now employed in the Great Southern. “When students are thinking of what they would like to do after high school, we want them to see the water industry as somewhere they can have a long and rewarding career,” Water Corporation Great Southern regional manager Adrian Stewart said. “Water Corporation has a strong commitment to creating employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and through our work with Clontarf we’ve been able provide 34 positions within our apprenticeships, traineeships and graduates programs, to former students. “It was great to have this latest group visit the Bottle Creek Dam and even more encouraging to see the students’ interest in how the local scheme operates.” The Clontarf Foundation provides mentoring to young Indigenous men to help improve their education, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects. Narrogin Clontarf Academy director Henry Papertalk said the students enjoyed the visit. “The boys were really grateful for the tour as it gave them first-hand experience of what working in the water industry entails,” he said. “Showing there is a clear pathway into these sort of roles can be really meaningful for the boys because it helps them set a clear direction for their future”.