A Wodonga TAFE pre-apprenticeship course that started three years ago with just 10 students, has 30 on its books this year — some having fallen out of the school system, others that had been unemployed.

Its success has also been rewarded with a maintenance contract on 33 homes managed by the Woomera Aboriginal Corporation.

Course organiser Darren McDonald said it was hard won recognition and reinforced their belief that they were headed in the right direction.

“Four or five of the boys will start work on the houses this week,” he said.

“This is a great breakthrough.

“These guys are putting their hand up for an apprenticeship, they have come here hoping to get the skills that will get them into the building industry.

“They want to work and their enthusiasm is infectious.”

Mr McDonald said the program had led to about 15 students being employed either as apprentices, trainees or general work.

“We work our butt off to get them a job,” he said.

“We have done it a bit differently, we have gone to the builders and asked them to take a look, give them a chance — it has worked for them and us.

“There has been about 60 to 70 come through here now, including three girls.”

Mr McDonald expects a Federal Government initiative to include a mandatory 4 per cent indigenous labour component in its billion-dollar school’s building package to be another bonus for the program.

“We are training these boys to be a part of that 4 per cent,” he said.

Saturday Focus — pages 32, 33