| Recreation and Sport Youth Traineeship Incentive Program - 2006 Traineeship Case Studies
The following Case Studies are from Trainees that participated in the 2006 Traineeship Program.
Adelaide University Sports Association
The Adelaide University Sports Association has been employing trainees to work in their fitness centre, the Sports Hub, for four years. As a not-for-profit association that provides a service targeted at university students, hiring trainees has enabled the fitness centre to offer a quality service while contributing to the future of the industry.
The association has had great success with its four previous trainees, three of whom are now employed full time within the industry: two are continuing to work in the Sports Hub, while one is working for another fitness centre. The fourth trainee has gone on to undertake further studies in the health and fitness area.
Gloria Chester, Executive Officer of the Adelaide University Sports Association, says that taking on a trainee has been of benefit to the association as it enables them to ‘try before you buy’ and get to know trainees’ capabilities before considering them for long term employment. It also gives the association the opportunity to mould and train the person in the required areas.
The association’s 2006 trainee, Lewis Allan, has undertaken a range of roles since beginning work at the fitness centre. These include reception and general administration duties, equipment safety and maintenance checks, and monitoring and assisting gym users, as well as learning and assisting with the preparation of individual gym programs. Lewis says, ‘The opportunity has got my foot in the fitness industry door. I now have a broad understanding of gym training and the confidence to pursue a career’.
If you would like to contact the Adelaide University Sports Association regarding their use of trainees, please telephone Gloria Chester on 8303 3015.
Lewis Allen
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Confederation of Australian Sport
The Confederation of Australian Sport employed two trainees in 2005 and another trainee in 2006.
The Confederation was attracted to employing trainees due to the fact that it wanted to fill positions requiring a low skill base. Giulia Marion, Administration and Human Resource Manager, says, ‘This provided the perfect opportunity to employ a trainee who could develop their skills within our organisation in the areas we needed’. Giulia also stated that using trainees enabled them to give someone the hands-on experience and networking prospects they would not otherwise have experienced. It allowed the organisation to fully induct and have the individual around for a long period of time giving them a better understanding of the events operation, rather than employing someone for only a few months.
The Confederation of Australian Sport recommends that organisations consider the employment of a trainee as it provides the organisation with stability for twelve months and, as stated by Giulia, it also gives you the opportunity to find some really good industry workers that you can have on board for twelve months and after that period, know what their expertise is and where, or if, they can fit into the organisation.
As is often the case, the Confederation’s current trainee, Jaimi Racher had undertaken tertiary studies prior to her traineeship. Jaimi found that upon trying to gain employment within the industry, it was a lot tougher than first expected. As a result, Jaimi realised she had to learn a lot more about the event industry if she was to gain employment in a specialised area such as marketing or operations. With this in mind, Jaimi then began undertaking volunteer work to increase her knowledge and networks within the industry. As a result, she gained the opportunity to undertake a traineeship, which had not entered her mind previously. ‘When I thought about it, I realised this was exactly the opportunity I needed to gain the knowledge and experience I was looking for and needed’, says Jaimi.
The Confederation of Australian Sport has had excellent success with its trainees. In 2005, two trainees were employed to undertake a range of roles including office administration, finance management, event operations, project management and registration and volunteer management. Both trainees are now working full time in the industry, one as a project officer with the Confederation while the other is now the Active Communities Field Officer for the Murraylands region, a position partly funded and supported by the Office for Recreation and Sport.
If you would like to contact the Confederation of Australian Sport to further discuss their use of trainees and the processes associated with doing so, please contact Giulia Marion on 8202 0000.
Jaimi Racher
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Lacrosse SA
As a small organisation with its office open only part time, Lacrosse SA is unable to employ a full time trainee and, as a result, has employed the same trainee part time over the last three years. Initially taking on Tiffany Smith under the school based New Apprenticeship program to complete a Certificate 2 in Sport and Recreation, Lacrosse SA negotiated with Tiffany to continue employing her on a part time basis over two years. During this time, Tiffany has moved on to study a Certificate 3 in Sport and Recreation through Sport SA, an arrangement that suits both parties.
Lacrosse SA’s Executive Officer, Helen Lewis, indicates that employing a trainee has enabled them to provide a lacrosse player with part time work and training within the recreation and sport industry, while receiving vital assistance in the office.
Tiffany says that the traineeship has enabled her to get an idea of what happens at Lacrosse SA and to also get some idea of what happens in sporting organisations. She believes that this may also help her in looking for a job in the sport and recreation industry in the future.
The benefit of a trainee to Lacrosse SA has been priceless. Helen states that Tiffany’s assistance in the office has been invaluable in terms of their day-to-day operations. She also says that they have been fortunate to secure someone who is very keen and conscientious and shows considerable initiative. The value and flexibility of a trainee to an organisation is perfectly displayed by Tiffany who is currently taking on extra development duties while Lacrosse SA searches for a new Development Officer.
Lacrosse SA believes that other organisations should certainly investigate employing a trainee. Helen says that employing a trainee is a cost-efficient way of sourcing administrative assistance. In a one person office, it is good to have someone else within the organisation that can provide back up with, for example, the website and on-line scoring system.
If you would like to contact Lacrosse SA to discuss their use of trainees, please contact Helen Lewis on phone number 8355 3350.
Tiffany Smith
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South Australian Rugby Union
South Australian Rugby Union has been employing trainees for the past eleven years and continues to do so as a result of the range of benefits and increased capabilities they create for the organisation.
The main attraction for the association to employ trainees is the opportunity to help young people train and develop in the workforce. Rugby Union’s Office Manager, Julie Millar, states that she would recommend employing trainees to other organisations because you get a real sense of satisfaction as you see your trainee develop their personal and practical skills during the course of their traineeship.
Julie believes that trainees have played a vital role in the promotion and development work of Rugby Union. ‘Trainees have enabled us to conduct coaching clinics which promote rugby union in a wider range of schools, something we could not do with our normal development staff due to the number of schools involved’, says Julie.
As well as coaching clinics, trainees are involved in a range of administrative and event management roles providing development opportunities in a variety of both business and sport and recreation related skills. Some examples of events that trainees have been involved in organising, planning and staging include:
- Interstate and international rugby matches;
- Promotional functions and dinners;
- Business and sponsorship launches;
- Volunteer recognition functions; and
- State, national and international level rugby tournaments.
In addition, South Australian Rugby Union is to play a major role in the organisation and staging of the International Rugby Board’s Sevens tournament from 2007 to 2011, an event in which future trainees will be heavily involved.
Rugby Union is an excellent example of how trainees can go on to play valuable roles within an organisation. At the conclusion of their traineeships, a number of Rugby Union trainees have been offered employment opportunities within the organisation. In particular, one trainee was employed as a Development Officer and worked his way up to become the Rugby Manager for two years before pursuing coaching opportunities overseas. Another trainee was employed as a Development Officer for three years with the organisation, while one of the organisation’s administration trainees went on to work in events and marketing with the Port Adelaide Football Club and is now employed by New South Wales Rugby Union.
This is a great effort by Rugby Union and a wonderful example of the influence that organisations can have on a trainee’s career, as well as illustrating the valuable contribution that trainees can go on to make within organisations that give them the opportunity.
Rugby Union’s current trainee, Julie Bell, undertook a traineeship in order to gain experience and knowledge about this type of career. This traineeship gave Julie the opportunity to get a taste of the sport and recreation industry having deferred a university course in a related field in 2006. Julie says that the traineeship has given her the opportunity to learn and develop skills in the work place. She believes that being able to apply skills in real life situations will better assist her with any career aspirations, as actual experience cannot be compared to simply learning in a classroom.
If you would like to contact South Australian Rugby Union to further discuss their use of trainees, please contact Julie Millar on 8232 7101.
Julie Bell
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South Australian National Football League
The South Australian National Football League (SANFL) has been employing trainees for over twelve years, believing it is a wonderful way of testing if a prospective employee is suitable for their organisation. The SANFL feels that it is this ‘look before you buy’ opportunity that makes trainees very appealing and beneficial.
Over the last twelve years, the SANFL has seen a number of its trainees go on to be offered full time positions within both the SANFL and SANFL Clubs. One of their most notable trainees was Duane Van Sendon, a young Indigenous trainee employed in 2005, who excelled in the position. Duane was awarded the 2005 SA Indigenous Trainee of the Year Award as well as the 2005 Group Training Australia Trainee of the Year Award, a wonderful effort by both Duane and the SANFL.
As a result of Duane’s efforts, the SANFL now plans to employ him permanently as an Indigenous Development Officer. Duane believes that undertaking a traineeship was very valuable because it showed him what was required to be successful in such a position and what was needed to gain employment in a job you enjoy. Duane feels that the biggest challenges he faced during his traineeship were the low income and the fact that a permanent position was not guaranteed. However, he believes it was a great step in the right direction.
The SANFL has found trainees to be of great benefit to the organisation, creating a larger workforce to deliver their associated programs. The trainees are utilised in a range of different roles including administration and event management, as well as in the delivery of school and club coaching clinics and promotional activities.
The value and benefits of trainees to an organisation is viewed as significant by the SANFL.
Duane Van Sendon
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Somerton Squash Club
The Somerton Squash Club is associated with Squash SA and actively provides a range of services including coaching and development services, school programs, casual court hire, social competitions and tournaments.
The club employed its first trainee under the 2006 Recreation and Sport Youth Traineeship Incentive Program and hasn’t looked back since.
Prior to appointing a trainee, the Club Manager, Mark Parker, was required to undertake all aspects of club management and general operations. Mark says that by employing a trainee, it has afforded him a great deal of time to focus on fine tuning the organisation’s operations and development, resulting in greater club growth.
After initial training, the trainee, Andrew Edwards, now undertakes over-the-counter and customer service duties and cleaning requirements, as well as group and one-on-one coaching clinics, responsibilities that used to take up the majority of Mark’s time.
By undertaking a traineeship, Andrew hopes to gain a good understanding of how a business is run, improve his people skills, learning ability and networks, and also enjoy gaining hands-on experience in the process.
The biggest attraction to employing a trainee for the Somerton Squash Club was the opportunity to create a shared workload between the trainee and manager and the rewarding experience of helping to develop a young person’s career path. Mark believes that having a young and enthusiastic trainee at the club has brought a new and fresh approach, making the club more attractive to people of a similar age and interests to the trainee.
When asked what challenges the club had faced with taking on a trainee, Mark indicated that his biggest hurdle was teaching Andrew, quickly and comprehensively, the roles and responsibilities that had become second nature to him. This hurdle has been overcome with patience and understanding.
If you would like to contact Somerton Squash Club to discuss their use of a trainee, the process they followed, the challenges they have faced and benefits they have encountered, please contact Mark Parker on 8295 4688.
Andrew Edwards
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For further information
Senior Project Officer, Industry Development
Phone: +61 8 7424 7767
Fax: +61 8 7424 7753
Email: participation@saugov.sa.gov.au
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