After leaving school, Lauren Shoebridge looked for work on the Central Coast.
“I was thinking of taking a casual job and going to TAFE part-time, but that wasn’t my first choice. I found WorkVentures on the Web and went to a presentation on traineeships.”
When Lauren went for her first interview at OOCL (Australia) Pty. Ltd., an international company, she knew very little about the shipping industry. Friendly interviewers helped her overcome her nerves. “Then I found out I had a second interview, with my current boss and his deputy. I was very happy to get the job.” North Sydney was also convenient for rail travel.
The traineeship has enabled Lauren to gain wide experience while learning from colleagues. “We have a variety of staff here, from young people like me to ships’ captains. Everyone is very good at explaining the tasks, and it’s interesting with so much new information to absorb,” she says.
She works in Operations, a busy area which deals with the turn-around of giant ships in port, monitoring of import and export cargoes, stock control and repairs to shipping containers, and the authorisation of payments to vendor invoices. Lauren has been to Port Botany to watch containers being loaded and unloaded in their thousands. “Even when I go to the
beach now, and the container ships go by out there, I look at them differently,” she says.
Lauren would recommend traineeships to other school leavers. “Definitely! You’re gaining knowledge all the time, but you get paid, and you can look forward to receiving a Certificate III in Business on completion. It’s a great combination.”
For more information about how a traineeship can give your career a head start, call or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. us.
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