Mission accomplished for Green Jobs Corps graduates

When Daniel received his Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management earlier this month, he was as proud as could be.

Daniel was among a group of motivated youths that completed Mission Australia’s 26-week National Green Jobs Corps (NGJC) project.

This environmental training program offered young people aged between 17 to 24 years a combination of work experience, horticultural skill development and accredited training to equip them with the skills necessary for employment in green and climate-change industries.

Daniel told The Sunshine, Ardeer, Albion Star newspaper that the course helped him regain confidence in his own ability and made the future seem brighter.

“I never got out of bed before 8am,” he recalled. "I would sleep until one or two in the afternoon and waste half of my day. But the course motivated me to get up and do something."

He said the course would also help him land his dream job - a customs officer for the Marine Unit.

As part of the course, the group of graduates from Melbourne’s west worked on the restoration of native habitat environment, revegetation, environmental weed control, mulching, water monitoring, propagation and native plantings as well as flora and fauna surveys. This real work experience was gained at the Iramoo Sustainable Community Centre at Victoria University’s St Albans campus.

“Our recent graduates enjoyed making a difference to the local environment and picking up skills for the future,” said Anthony Moore, Victoria Regional Manager, Mission Australia.

“We want to congratulate each graduate on this big achievement and wish them all the best on their career journey here on in.”

Congratulations to all our Green Jobs Corps graduates!

Photo credit: Kristian Scott, The Sunshine, Ardeer, Albion Star.