Making A Difference

Gateway’s Project Officer, Marc Swensson, recently invited SA Great’s

“Speakers In Schools” to visit Port Pirie and surrounding areas.  Making the trip from Adelaide, Jessica (SA Great), Lesley & Helen (ElectraNet), Andrea (Technology Industry Association) joined Marc (Gateways), Shaker & Elmore (JHI Builders) at John Pirie Secondary School, Mid North Christian College and Gladstone High School to talk to Year 10 & 11 students about their respective careers and pathways. 

With Marc acting as emcee, Lesley kicked off the presentation, sharing stories from days organizing the very first Tour Down Under, to her time in Italy and Nepal, to her current role as a Project Scheduler.  Armed with a Vegemite jar prop and give-away’s being thrown left, right and centre, Andrea then spoke about the different ways that technology is used in industry today. 

Local legends Brenton (“Shaker”) and Elmore from JHI Builders talked about

the benefits of volunteer work, supporting locals and Elmore’s journey to becoming Apprentice Of The Year.  All presenters were young, passionate and inspired all students in attendance.  Gateways thank all the students and schools for their support, and a big thank you goes to all the speakers for generously giving their time.

Olympic-sized Fun @ BHP Billiton

On September 2nd, over 40 students from John Pirie Secondary School and Australian Technical College took part in Gateway’s annual road trip to Olympic Dam.  It was the first time many of the students had been to Roxby Downs, so after a tour of the town and some lunch, it was off to Olympic Dam.  The excursion included an overview of the proposed mine expansion and guided tour of Olympic Dam by BHP Billiton Public Affairs Officer, Deb Ainslie; CEG’s Darren Lowe spoke about employment opportunities; plus an explaination of radiation and safety procedures on site.  Students were given the opportunity to ask any questions they had about mining and related industries and everyone got a good laugh (and photo opportunity) when we could dress up in the compulsory safety gear & uniform (including the affectionately titled “Disco Pants”).  Gateways also supplied Subway sandwiches for lunch, snacks, drinks and movies for the bus ride – keeping everyone entertained and fresh as a daisy.  Complete with a trip to Bree Park’s bird sanctuary in Woomera and Hungry Jack’s for tea, the trip was long, but informative and enjoyed by all.

A Steamy Experience

Students from Mid North Education Centre have been undertaking work experience recently, working on the miniature trains at Port Pirie’s Tourism and Arts Centre. Volunteers at the Tourism and Arts Centre have been very appreciative of the help the students have provided, and the students are relishing the challenge and gaining new skills in a team environment.

Full steam ahead!

Boystown feel the VIBE

These boys from the Port Pirie branch of Boystown were the very first off the rank for the Save-a-Mate presentation about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol featuring the ever-popular “Beer Goggles”. The boys listened intently to information and statistics about the effect drugs and alcohol can have on a healthy young body and then saw for themselves how even 2 beers can have an effect on their bodies.

Apparently walking in a straight line when your body has an alcohol level

over 0.05 is a lot harder than first thought! The group had lots of fun attempting to ‘walk the line’, eventually progressing to hopping, jumping and even somersaulting! The presentation was so engaging that even the teachers were in on the act giving the Boystown lads a laugh of their own!

NAIDOC Week 2009

The theme for NAIDOC Week in 2009 was “Honouring our Elders, Nurturing our Youth”. The theme encourages communities to acknowledge the status of our Indigenous elders as leaders and role models for the Youth.

The National Aboriginies and Islanders Day Observation Committee (NAIDOC), along with the Australian Government, encouraged communities across the country the embrace the theme of NAIDOC Week 2009 – and Port Pirie was no exception!

The 2 day celebration kicked off in Memorial Park on Monday 6th July with a march and an Opening Ceremony officiated by Port Pirie Mayor, Brenton Vanstone, followed by some deadly traditional Aboriginal story telling through song and dance!

Other activities available over the 2 days were: boomerang decorating, face painting,  mask and jewellery making. There was a free sausage sizzle both days, many stalls promoting such facets as good health and nutrition, local heritage, pre-employment training and opportunities as well as live music including Gateways very own Marc!

Career Expo Extras

it’s all about technique	Here we can see one of the many interactive displays from the Careers Expo. Apprentice painter, Will Young, shows this student the proper technique required for simple painting jobs, such as how to hold the brush correctly.
Child Care	There was lots of information to be found at the TAFE SA stall including info on Child Care courses, certificates in Retail and almost every other career you can think of! TAFE is a great avenue to follow up if you don’t particularly want to go to University but still want to continue studying.
Trainees: Workforce of the Future	These young trainees: Lauren Lowe, from ANZ Bank, with Brooke Smith and Kayla Hayes from Port Pirie Regional Council occupied their respective stalls advocating the advantages of on-the-job training in both finance and administration.
Acrylic Beauty	Haylee Pisani, owner of Bedazzled Beauty, gave students a close-up demonstration of how acrylic nails are applied by putting one on each student that popped by the Hair & Beauty stall  - needless to say there were a LOT of girls getting around with one sparkly, acrylic nail.
OZ Minerals Info	OZ Minerals representative Ross Sawes and Southern Flinders Regional Development Board member Terry Reichelt give this Peterborough High student some valuable information on employment in the mining sector.
Olympic Gold Medalist - Kyle Vander Kuyp	Kyle Vander-Kuyp, once a medal winning Olympic hurdler, is now a Dept. of Human Services Ambassador. Kyle was on the Centrelink stall, next to Gateways, at the Careers Expo, he will be appearing later in the year at Vibe Alive festival in Pt Augusta.
Manscaping Marc	Gateways for Youth Project Officer, Marc, shows that having your nails done is an essential part of manscaping before a gig – after having his nails buffed they were given a black polish for the next Sideshow gig – sweet as.

Southern Flinders Careers Expo 2009

Hair & Beauty demo

The Southern Flinders Career Expo returned to Port Pirie in 2009 – with more than 30 exhibitors peddling their informational wares to students from schools around the region. Students were able to move from stall to stall gathering information in many forms such as pack, pamphlets and good old verbal communication!

Schools that came to the Careers Expo included John Pirie Secondary School, Saint Marks College, the Australian Technical College, Mid North Christian College, Jamestown Community, Gladstone High, Peterborough High School, Booleroo Area School and Orroroo Area School.

Nyrstar display

Defectable vehicle

One of the very popular interactive displays was the ‘little red car’ which had a plethora of defective features which students were invited to try and find. The aim of the display was, not only to show students how many defects can be found on a vehicle and raise awareness of the importance of road safety, but also as an introduction to ‘a Day in the Life of’ a mechanic.

Another very popular ‘hands-on’ display was the ‘Tyre Changing Station’. Students were given a checklist to follow when changing a tyre, they were then give an opportunity to have a go at changing the tyre themselves to see how well they managed the task. Some found this no challenge at all while others struggled a little with the cumbersome task.

Spare tyre

We <3 Higher Learning

There was something for everyone at the Careers Expo, as well as the trades displays and other businesses who attended, there was also a place for those who planned to go on to University, with Uni SA and Flinders Uni in attendance with an abundance of course guides and information for students. Clearly, this was a big hit with many students who wish to go on to higher learning.

Another of the very popular stalls at the Careers Expo was the Australian Defence Forces display. With representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Force – the stall was buzzing all day with students interested in gaining ADFA training while also studying for a nationally recognised degree in one of a many number of fields.

Australian Defence Forces

Gateways a-go-go

Another stall that was buzzing throughout the day was our very own Gateways for Youth stall, with Marc, Liz and Rhianna (left) taking it in turns to be ‘on deck’ & give out information on Gateways, what we do, and how we can help students to discover which career might be for them. One of the most popular hand-outs of the day was the Job Matrix, which shows students projected statistics about almost any job you could think of!

Employability Expertise

All of the wonderful employers who attended the John Pirie Secondary School Employability Forum including keynote speaker, Jarrad Davies from the Southern Flinders Regional Development Board.

Hospitality 101

Students who were particularly interested in Hospitality were treated to some real expertise from Gateway for Youth’s executive officer, and Hospitality Extraordinaire, Liz Sampson-Kelly!

Crowded House

Employers from all around Port Pirie went to John Pirie Secondary School to speak at the Employability Forum. Students were given an insight into many different industries and also into what emplyers are looking for when employing staff.

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