Remember to never walk backwards!

Emily’s visit to Coober Pedy

I leaned innocently to the local on the plane next to me and asked about the holes in the ground all around below.  He quickly told me to remember to never walk backwards in Coober Pedy.  You’ll end up 90 feet down!

This was on the way to my recent visit to Coober Pedy in South Australia as part of our consultation for the Indigenous and Remote Service Delivery Traineeship Program, which we like to call the Community Business Skills Program.

I met three potential trainees who were absolutely thrilled to be taking part in our Community Business Skills Program later this month and early next year.  It was wonderful to hear that they were as passionate about the training as we are at BCA National Training Group.

What really astounded me was how struck they were by the way we had tailored the training materials to suit their needs.  They commented about how well the materials matched the work environment of Aboriginal Health and Aged Care Services in remote areas.  This was really rewarding to hear as it is exactly what the resource development team at BCA National has been working to achieve.  I left a copy of the sample materials with the trainees and their services who were happy to have a closer look and give us some more feedback to so we could be sure we’re delivering great training.

Word had already spread around town (which is best known for its opal mines and underground houses by the way) and I was introduced to four other people who wanted to be part of next year’s training.  Eyes lit up when we spoke about how this training aimed to help the trainees become the community Managers and CEOs of the future, and how we hoped that by doing the training they would feel more empowered to support their families, elders and communities.

There was also great excitement about the possibility of them coming to Sydney, seeing the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and of course going SHOPPING!  The trainees also commented about the crazy traffic in Sydney - being a Sydneysider, it was hard to argue but I did reassure them that our team would be on hand to help navigate any challenges that were thrown their way.

Meeting the trainees and seeing where they work was such a great experience. I was thrilled to be able to learn from the students and their supervisors and to hear the passion they have for their work and communities.

What a privilege to be able to be part of this with them.   It seems Coober Pedyian’s take their own advice and “only walk forwards”!

Above: Mervyn Watson, Leyla Maree Sturat Likou-Resu and Krista Carbine (Trainees from Umoona Aged Care Corporation starting a Cert IV in Business in Sydney this month).

Above: Akabu Warria (Trainee completing a Diploma of Business) and Rose Berry (Supervisor, Umoona Tjutagku Health Service).