JT Academy partner CQFMS celebrates a successful year

Corporate partner of the Johnathan Thurston Academy, CQ Field Mining Services (CQFMS), is celebrating a productive past year with four successful major shutdowns completed safely and on time.

CQFMS is a maintenance and construction contractor based in Central Queensland, specializing in project, field, and diesel maintenance servicing the Australian and Pacific region mining and gas industries.

The company was established in 2006 and has a workforce of some 300 staff. Being privately owned, the company prides itself on “looking after its employees”.

The shutdowns CQFMS achieved last year included a coal handling preparation plant, a 4100XPC shovel de-deck for a new site, an RH400 digger rebuild, and slew bearing change as well as an RH170 shutdown and slew bearing change.

The coal handling preparation plant shutdown was carried out by 40 people over three weeks and involved major structural and mechanical works.

The 4100XPC shovel de-deck project came in under budget and a day ahead of schedule. More than 75 employees were involved in the works and 20,000 man-hours were completed on the project.

CQFMS Managing Director Jason Holt said the company prided itself on delivering not only an increased ability to plan and execute shutdowns and repairs on time but also have them come in under budget.

“I’m proud of our continued growth and development results from consistent delivery of excellent safety adherence and culture, supported by quality services, which has further enhanced and grown our team to improve deliverables to our clients and provide specialist maintenance solutions in all areas,” he said.

The RH400 digger rebuild and slew bearing change shutdown is another example of a project completed ahead of schedule and under budget with a major cost saving for the client by removing the reliance on large cranes.

Jason said the jacking methodology was used to reduce the shutdown duration by one week.

During the RH170 shutdown and slew bearing change, he said a wireless hydraulic powerpack was used to eliminate live testing allowing the project to be completed 36 hours early.

JT Academy Managing Director Johnathan Thurston congratulated CQFMS on their amazing year and said the Academy’s programs would simply not be possible without the support of corporate partners such as CQFMS.

“CQFMS have been vital in helping the Academy realize its goals of helping young Australians into education and employment and thanked them for their ongoing support,” Thurston said.

“We have been lucky to have the support of a number of corporate partners including CQFMS.

“In keeping with the ethos and principles of the Academy, we only partner with employers of choice who have a proven track record of supporting their staff through the good times and the bad times.

“CQFMS is one such company which prides itself on its engagement with its staff and the community and we are very proud to have them on board.”

CQFMS has been a strong and active supporter of JT Academy since it started in early 2018, regularly posting job ads on the site and taking on trainees and apprentices.

Jason said CQFMS valued the importance of offering opportunities to those who were new to the industry.

“Everyone needs to start somewhere and when surrounded by the right team it makes for positive results,” he said.

If you are interested in partnering with the JT Academy, please email info@jtacademy.com.au

If you are interested in finding out more about CQFMS, visit their website or email enquiries@cqfms.com.au

JTYouthJobs to connect our nation’s youth with real work opportunities

Getting our nation’s youth into real work opportunities – this is the goal for Johnathan Thurston for 2021!

The Johnathan Thurston Academy is excited to launch its new JTYouthJobs platform which connects our nation’s youth with employers, hiring managers, and organizations.

JTYouthJobs will connect job seekers with real work opportunities through industry partnerships while simplifying and streamlining the application and employment process for both job seekers and employers.

JT Academy Managing Director Johnathan Thurston said research revealed one in three young people across the nation were unemployed or underemployed at the end of what was “a year beyond imagining” for those trying to join the workforce.*

“This statistic terrifies me and it’s this reason why we are committed to doing everything we can to help our nation’s youth get a foot in the door when it comes to working opportunities,” Johnathan said.

“JTYouthJobs has been designed to support our nation’s youth to reach personal, educational, and career goals.

“It’s about instilling the self-confidence in young Australians that there are opportunities out there and there are people and companies who want to give them a go.”

New research details the devastating impact COVID-19 economic recession on people aged 15 to 24.

The employment, higher education, and social pathways of young people have changed dramatically.

Australia’s youngest workers are now facing their most dire employment prospects in recent history.

The November 2020 youth unemployment rate was 15.6 percent, more than double the national average of 6.8 percent.

Unemployment is even more acute for young Indigenous Australians who have an unemployment rate of 20.7 percent.

Johnathan said this had resulted in a complex landscape for our nation’s youth to navigate, but he was adamant young people have enormous potential, and they are a vital resource for the Australian economy and community.

“Being employed is very important for our nation’s youth for their financial security, independence, wellbeing, a sense of belonging and achievement, purpose as well as personal and skill development,” he said.

“We believe that by instilling a strong sense of self-belief, confidence and courage will empower young people to pursue a career or a job for a better life.

“We aim to make a difference, one step at a time, and I believe this program will go a long way to helping.”

The Johnathan Thurston Academy is fast becoming Australia’s most ambitious, and leading provider of outstanding programs and initiatives for our nation’s youth, aimed at education, employment, wellbeing.

The JTYouthJobs platform is driven by the JT Academy team and powered by JTConnect, JTSucceed, and JT2020 robust signature employment programs. To register or for more information visit https://jtachieve.com/2MA3Bqm

* Research from the Brotherhood of St Laurence

JTConnect workshops: Supporting Cairns Region and South-East Queenslanders

In 2020, JTConnect visited twelve schools in the Cairns and South East Queensland Regions with 499 young people taking part. Launched in August last year, the JTConnect program is an initiative of the Johnathan Thurston Academy, sponsored by the Deadly Choices’ Indigenous health campaign, and is designed to empower young people to believe in themselves and be the difference.

JTConnect aims to connect students to employers, through an engaging workshop that incorporates JT’s own experiences and offers insight and advice to get them started on their own employment journey.

Our visits at each school start with the JTConnect Marquee set up out the front of the school, giving students of all ages the opportunity to meet with our team, grab some healthy breakfast and start chatting about their employment journey. Our team also brings along giant Connect 4 and Jenga – the competition between students and teachers is always fierce!

 

After mingling with students before school, our classroom sessions begin! We kick things off with a quick introduction before watching some JT highlights to get everyone excited and in the mood to work. Throughout the program, students are invited to stand up and speak in front of the group – each time becoming more challenging and requiring more confidence, courage, and self-belief!

 

Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, with many students reporting back that they have had successful interviews after learning skills and strategies in JTConnect!

We can’t wait to see more students in 2021 and hear about their employment goals and dreams!

JT Academy’s virtual video promotes employment opportunities with Evolution Mining

JT Academy’s Managing Director Johnathan Thurston recently headed out to Evolution Mining’s Mt Carlton mine which is located in the Whitsunday region. JT talked with team members about the many and varied employment opportunities for local and Indigenous jobseekers.

 

Thurston’s tour of the mine in a dump truck was filmed and virtually presented to students at Yarrabah, Kowanyama and Trinity Bay schools, who are part of the JT Academy. During the virtual session, the school children also had the chance to hear from Evolution Mining team at Mt Carlton and ask questions about what it’s like working in the mining industry.

 

The video and virtual session was a big hit with the local school children and provided plenty of motivation and inspiration for students considering a possible career in resources. 

 

“Evolution’s team are very passionate and proud of their work and of the work family culture they have created,” Thurston said. “I’m really proud to call them a partner of the JT Academy. 

 

“There are so many roles within the resources sector, students can choose from administration, safety, geology, environmental science and engineering through to process operators and driving the dump trucks, loaders and excavators.

 

“The possibilities in the industry are endless if you believe in yourself, have the courage and confidence to follow your dreams and work hard.

 

“It’s a great industry with a lot of education and employment opportunities for Youth looking for an exciting career.”

 

JT Academy’s partnership with Evolution Mining aims to help improve access to employment opportunities for local and Indigenous jobseekers aged 16-25 in regional Australia.

 

The partnership sees the Academy working at four Evolution sites – Mt Carlton in Queensland, Cowal in NSW and Mungari in Western Australia, with plans to extend to other sites.

 

The partnership, while promoting job opportunities, also assists local and Indigenous participants by preparing them to be job ready.

 

“Our partnership with Evolution Mining will go a long way to equipping Indigenous youth with the skills and confidence needed to apply for work,” Thurston said.

 

“It’s all about providing young Australians with the chance to learn and earn. We want to support Youth on their journey to employment in any way we can and instill the belief that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.” 

 

To see more on our trip to Mt Carlton click here https://jtachieve.com/3lTh1tG

How to express yourself in the workplace

Emotions can be tricky in the workplace, especially when you feel strongly about something and just want to be understood. You also want to be respectful and acknowledge the different views of your team members.

Thankfully, here at JT Academy, we have some tips to help you express yourself effectively!

  1. Stay calm.

No matter what important message you want the people at your work to know, letting your emotions control you can make the discussion more personal.  Therefore it’s best to speak in a calm and even tone, so the person you are talking to can acknowledge and hear your view.

  1. Gather your thoughts.

When we are trying to express ourselves, it can get frustrating when we don’t know what to say.  Before you talk to anyone, gather your thoughts first. Write it down on a piece of paper or go to a place where you can think clearly and figure out how you want to express yourself.

  1. Listen.

When you want someone to listen to you, you must learn how to listen, too! Do not listen and prepare what you are going to say straight away. Understanding other people’s perspectives will establish a good rapport.

  1. Stay on the topic. 

Every time you want to express yourself, always stay on the topic. Don’t personalize the conversation as you could stray from what you are talking about and the message you want to project.

Remember, it’s just as important to be an effective listener when we communicate as it is for us to speak up! For more tips like this, be a subscriber of JT Academy’s General Newsletter.

Smiggle and Kowanyama State School

We are super excited to announce a partnership with Smiggle who will be supporting our JTBelieve program in Kowanyama. Smiggle was inspired to become involved after observing the amazing participants of our Kowanyama program on their journey develop their self-belief, confidence, and courage. Smiggle is proud to support the JTBelieve Kowanyama program by donating school supplies and prizes for the JTBelieve program and most importantly, by helping to shine a light on the amazing achievements of the Kowanyama JTBelieve participants. We can’t wait to share more of their amazing stories and harness the uplifting words of our Managing Director Johnathan Thurston, ‘with self-belief, confidence, and courage, you are the difference to achieving your dreams’. To learn more check out jtacademy.com.au or smiggle.com.au.

How to use courage for job success

Here are six steps on how you can use courage for job success! After all, the more you are courageous, the stronger you become

Being courageous, by definition, means going out of your comfort zone to achieve things that are important to you. It does not mean you have to act recklessly; it is more about standing up for yourself and what you believe in.

Here are six steps on how you can use courage for job success! After all, the more you are courageous, the stronger you become.

  1. Be clear about what you want

To use courage wisely for success, you must stop looking at the external stuff and instead focus on the feeling it gives you. Dare to dream big and work hard to get it.

  1. Be open to change

Despite our best effort, things fail, and our plans get ruined. It takes courage to have a better perspective, especially when it comes to your career goals. Things change, so always be ready and open for a new part of your journey!

  1. Take a risk

One of the best ways to use courage is by taking a risk and pushing your limits, knowing that you had nothing to lose because dead-end roads always turn into steppingstones!

  1. Walk with courageous people

People who discourage your actions and step on your dreams doesn’t deserve a place in your life, so think big with courageous people as the energy you surround yourself with will have a huge impact on your success.

  1. Be authentic

Courageous people show and embrace their true selves as mimicking other people will stop you from becoming the incredible person you are supposed to be.

  1. Stay positive.

If life keeps testing your capabilities, always bounce back, and never give up. A person who keeps working hard no matter what happens is the perfect example of being courageous.

What are the things you want to do using courage? Let us know! For more tips to become the best version of yourself, visit JTConnect on our website https://jtachieve.com/3feSzj9

 

 

Johnathan Thurston and his JT Academy spent last week in the South Burnett, Southern Downs and Darling Downs area delivering motivational workshops

Johnathan Thurston and his JT Academy headed to the South Burnett, Southern Downs, and Darling Downs areas last week to present a series of school workshops to boost confidence, courage, and self-belief in his inspiration workshops.

The workshops not only lifted the spirits of local school children, but literally injected a ton of motivation, inspiration, and feel good moments across the entire region,

Thurston arrived in the South Burnett area on October 18 where he hosted invite-only, junior rugby league workshops at the footy grounds. The following days Thurston and his team from Johnathan Thurston Academy delivered the JTSucceed workshop to local students, which has been designed to encourage youth to boost confidence, courage, and self-belief with key messages on the importance (now more than ever) regarding mental health and well-being awareness.

Two uplifting and inspirational evening community events took place in Millmerran and Inglewood communities.

Thurston, the Managing Director of the JT Academy, spends much of his time since retiring from rugby league encouraging and supporting our nation’s youth into meaningful employment, education, and well-being through his insightful and inspirational workshops and programs.

“The JT Academy was developed to inspire, support, and to set our nation’s youth up to succeed across all areas of their life: employment, education, and wellbeing. It’s our absolute pleasure when we get the opportunity to extend our reach to youth living in remote and regional communities,” Thurston explained.

“With the support of our corporate partners and invitations such as this, we were able to get into some of these communities and deliver programs that make a tangible difference to the lives of local kids and, as a result, the whole community benefits.

“The more we can encourage and support our young people to find a strong sense of self-belief, confidence, courage, and purpose, the better prepared they will be to lead future generations. It is a small investment but a worthy one.”

The visit was been made possible by the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN and facilitated by Darling Downs Health.

How Johnathan Thurston’s JTYouGotThis Program Helped A Community Just Like Yours

The Johnathan Thurston Academy recently ran a JTYouGotThis program with participants from the Navy Indigenous Defence Program as part of our commitment to helping our nation’s youth. The 2-week program focuses on career training and personal development. The program helps inspire participants to achieve their career and employment goals using the JT Academy’s core values of courage, confidence, and self-belief.

During JTYouGotThis, participants build resilience and focus on their values, their strengths, weaknesses, goals, and aspirations. Participants attend sessions designed to give them relevant and practical advice on leadership, resume writing, interview skills, and career coaching. They also learn to use confidence, courage, and self-belief in their day-to-day lives, as well as in the world of work.

As part of the JTYouGotThis Program, Johnathan held three sessions with the participants. Johnathan has a hands-on approach to the JTYouGotThis program, including interviewing the participants to get to know them better. Throughout the interview process, JT took a shine to the participant, James Matthew and wanted to help achieve his work goals.

Elsewhere, we’ve been working with Bama Services in Cairns while they have been working on the Lendlease Cairns Convention Centre Expansion. Johnathan wanted to put forward James for an interview with Bama Services, as he thought James’ values aligned with Bama’s. Bama agreed, getting James in for a day of work experience.

James was to work with the Landscaping Maintenance team. It didn’t take long for them both to impress, and Bama called by 1:30 pm that day saying they wanted to hire James to start the following week – a great result for all involved.

Meanwhile, Johnathan explained why he put James forward for an interview saying, “I liked what I saw in James. He presented the courage, confidence, and self-belief I hope to see in every participant in the JTYouGotThis program, and working with Bama gave me the peace of mind they’d be treated well – so I thought it would be a great fit for all involved!”

All our programs are designed to give participants the courage, confidence, and self-belief they need to go and reach their goals, and to empower them to further their career ambitions while teaching them skills that can be applied to any aspect of their lives.

If you’re looking to help those in your community get a role that’s perfect for them, get in touch with us about running a JTYouGotThis program with members of your community – 07 3102 3309 or info@jtacademy.com.au

JTConnect creates the link between health and employment

The team at Johnathan Thurston Academy is proud to be working with students from Cairns and Logan to inspire them to dream big when it comes to employment – and show them how it can change their lives for the better.

JT Academy’s JTConnect program encourages young adults to step outside their comfort zones when it comes to employment by marketing themselves for opportunities that come their way. The program also looks at healthy workplaces – and their rights and responsibilities at work.

While healthy minds and bodies are not normally a topic discussed when discussing employment opportunities, the importance is highlighted during the program. With the high levels of chronic disease in our First Nation people, it is essential to highlight the importance of current health issues, and how employment can play a part in improving mental and physical health in individuals and families.

JTConnect links employment information and messaging with health education initiatives, inspired by program partner Deadly Choices.

Johnathan Thurston Academy’s Managing Director Johnathan Thurston said programs like JTConnect are incredibly important as they equip our young adults with the vital tools they need to seek and retain employment.

“I’m really proud of the JTConnect program and working with our key partner Deadly Choice,” JT said. “By combining health and employment as a focus, we are truly arming our young people with the right toolkit and attitude to make healthy choices – with their lives and their future careers.”

As part of the program, Deadly Choices discuss various health initiatives including quitting smoking, healthy eating, physical activity, and mental health.

Through the JTConnect program, education is now being provided around income and employment and the important role it plays in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

IUIH CEO Adrian Carson highlighted the strength of the partnership between Deadly Choices and JTConnect to work towards closing the gap at the JTConnect jersey launch last month.

“There is clear evidence of the link between health, education, and employment outcomes and so working alongside JT Academy as a JTConnect Program Partner is helping us to connect with our young people to increase engagement and to facilitate aspiration to deadly careers pathways,” Adrian said.

At various JTConnect workshops, Deadly Choices will also run their Good Quick Tukka program and provide some great initiatives to encourage regular health checks.

For more information about this program please visit https://jtachieve.com/3feSzj9