JT Succeed Archives | Johnathan Thurston Academy

Jobs for Locals a Focus for Lendlease in Cairns

The JT Academy is proud to announce it is working with their major employment partner Lendlease to provide new opportunities for both local and Indigenous job seekers on the refurbishment and expansion of the much loved Cairns Convention Centre.

Engaged by the Queensland Government as the Managing Contractor, Lendlease will soon commence construction on the $176 million projects that is set to support more than 570 jobs and provide a significant boost to the Cairns economy.

Lendlease has been a major employment partner of the JT Academy for the past two years and in line with their Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan, they are keen to work with the Academy to support the engagement of Community on the Cairns Convention Centre project.

The academy’s founder and managing director, Johnathan Thurston, joined Lendlease Construction Manager Jason Mulcahy last week on an online conference to outline the opportunities available for Indigenous job seekers and Indigenous-owned businesses.

“Lendlease is proud to partner with the JT Academy and the Cairns Convention Centre project is a great extension of this partnership which has been in place since the academy first opened in February 2018,” Mr. Mulcahy said.

“We are keen to engage with Indigenous business owners and job seekers to fill positions on this project and encourage them to make contact and supply their capability statements, so they can be considered.

“This is a great opportunity for Cairns district residents, with jobs soon to be available in areas such as construction, electrical, painting, tiling, and plumbing.

Johnathan Thurston said the academy’s relationship with Lendlease provided a unique opportunity for Indigenous people from the Cairns region to gain employment and he was excited about the potential the project offered.

“My enthusiasm was shared during the online discussion with about 140 of our valued employment partners and members,” Johnathan said.

“Through strong partnerships, such as we have with Lendlease, the JT Academy is committed to supporting individuals to reach personal, educational, and career goals.

“It’s about installing the confidence in young Australians that there are opportunities out there and there are people and companies such as Lendlease which want to make a solid commitment and show what real leadership looks like.”

JT Academy Project Team Coordinator, Maddy Parr, will be based in Cairns to manage the academy’s relationship with Lendlease and help Indigenous job seekers gain employment on the project.

If you are a job seeker looking to work on the project, you can register for JTHotJobs on the JTJobBoard at https://jtachieve.com/3cF22iw

Businesses wanting to register for the project or seeking more information should email the Lendlease project team at cairnsEOI@lendlease.com

JT Academy’s newest partner announces new job opportunities across QLD, NT, and WA

The Johnathan Thurston Academy’s newest partner, Vivid Property Services, will soon be able to offer a number of new employment opportunities across Australia.

Vivid will soon have opportunities for retail and commercial cleaners, groundskeepers, gardeners and maintenance workers in regional and metropolitan locations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Vivid partnered with the JT Academy’s JTEmployIndigenous program earlier this year and Qld, NT and WA Regional Manager, Ray Freeman, said he was thrilled to be able to offer so many employment opportunities to academy members so early in the relationship.

“Today’s employment environment is particularly tough, so I am delighted we will be able to help so many people find work,” Mr. Freeman said. “I am passionate about providing new opportunities for local and regional job seekers who are hard-working and looking for opportunities that can become genuine careers.

“We will be looking for people who are open-minded, will turn up on time, and are prepared to learn.

“Our client is a truly national brand, so the right people will have opportunities to move forward in the company and work from the ground up.

“I am proud of Vivid’s partnership with the JT Academy and believe this will be just the first of many successes during our relationship.”

Founded in 2007 by Managing Director Scott Agnew, Vivid Property Services puts more than 2000 vetted, well-trained, quality-controlled commercial cleaners into airports, government facilities, educational institutions, and the secure offices of some of Australia’s most prestigious companies every day.

JT Academy Managing Director Johnathan Thurston welcomed the news of Vivid’s employment opportunities.

“I am really proud that one of our partners is able to offer employment opportunities and potentially turn peoples’ lives around during such difficult times,” he said.

“By joining forces with like-minded organisations such as Vivid, the JT Academy is supporting our nation’s job seekers and growing their skills helps to build their confidence and unleash their full potential.

“Hats off to the team at Vivid for moving forward and offering such great opportunities for our job seekers.”

To apply for current roles with Vivid Property Services click HERE

New partnership will narrow the gap in employment opportunities

The JT Academy is proud to announce it has teamed up with commercial cleaning company Vivid Property Services to offer employment opportunities through the JTEmployIndigenous program.

Founded in 2007 by Managing Director Scott Agnew, Vivid Property Services puts more than 2000 vetted, well-trained, quality-controlled commercial cleaners into airports, government facilities, educational institutions and the secure offices of some of Australia’s most prestigious companies every day.

Vivid CEO Peter Watson said the company had been impressed by the JT Academy’s focus on “narrowing the gap in employment opportunities” and what it offered back to the community.

“It is quite unique in terms of its approach to the programs it runs, targeting teenagers and young adults,” Mr Watson said.

“We support a number of organisations that operate in that space, including surf life saving, and that community service element is something we look for in a partner.

“Johnathan Thurston is a role model in the community and both the academy and JT’s personal brand are a perfect fit with Vivid and our sister company, Vivid Indigenous Services.

“We have a national footprint and recruit employees in regional, rural and remote areas, so working closely with the JT Academy will help give us a greater voice and a profile in this very important employment space.”

Mr Watson said Vivid Property Services had a strong focus on making a difference in peoples’ lives, including providing sponsorship and support such as it did for an Indigenous soccer team that competed in the 2019 national titles.

Former Brisbane Roar player Jade North – one of the first Indigenous men to play soccer for Australia – will be working closely with the JT Academy in his role as Vivid’s Client Relationship Manager.

“Jade is making his transition from professional sport into a business career and working with a guy like JT they will be fantastic role models and able to make a meaningful impact for so many young people,” Mr Watson said.

“We like to think we are putting our money where our mouth is in helping to make a difference and our partnership with the JT Academy will prove to be mutually beneficial.”

JT Academy General Manager Samantha Johnson welcomed the partnership with Vivid as another vital part of being able to develop and delivering high-quality programs that equipped young jobseekers with the right skills, knowledge, and attributes to make a significant and positive future impact.

“Through strong partnerships with employers such as Vivid, we are committed to supporting individuals to reach personal, educational, and career goals,” she said.

“It’s about installing the confidence in young Australians that there are opportunities out there and there are people and companies who want to make a solid commitment.”

Academy Managing Director Johnathan Thurston also welcomed the partnership.

“By joining forces with like-minded organisations such as Vivid, we are supporting our nation’s youth and growing their skills helps to build their confidence and unleash their full potential,” he said.

“The JT Academy programs aim to empower individuals with confidence, courage, self-belief and incorporate wellbeing and mental health conversations in all our programs.”

Johnathan Thurston’s academy connecting with the community of Kalgoorlie

The team from Johnathan Thurston Academy will be visiting Kalgoorlie this month (March) as part of a community program sponsored by Evolution Mining.

JT Academy team will spend a week in Kalgoorlie from March 16-20, to work with young residents through an innovative community program focussed around self-belief, courage, confidence and employment opportunities.

Johnathan Thurston launched the academy in February 2018 to help improve access to employment and educational opportunities.

Now the JT Academy is fast becoming a leading national provider of outstanding employment initiatives and community programs aimed at employment, education and wellbeing.

The week-long program will involve participants in our JTSucceed workshop. They will also be taken on a tour of our sponsor Evolution Mining Mungari site.

The JT Academy expect program participants will get a lot from the experience.

The week aims to build more self-belief, courage and confidence in participants and get them excited about future employment opportunities within their community.

For details on the event go to http://bit.ly/3anDolK

JT Academy becoming a leading provider of employment initiatives

The Johnathan Thurston Academy is fast becoming a leading provider of outstanding employment initiatives and one of our key platforms in that is the JTJobBoard.

This free service for all jobseekers and employers is part of a unique platform that connects jobseekers to all our employment partners in communities throughout the nation.

And in an age when systems and processes seem designed to make things more complicated for jobseekers, the JTJobBoard couldn’t be easier.

With just a few clicks of a mouse, jobseekers can explore a range of positions with employers such as Lendlease, Evolution Mining and Accor, to name a few. They can find all the details about a position and even apply directly through the website if it interests them.

A simple search field enables jobseekers to narrow down their job searches by location and work type and they can even see what positions are trending.

By registering for JTHotJobs, they will receive regular alerts on positions that have become available.

The JT Academy team is dedicated to working with companies, organisations and industries to provide stronger, more diversified economies by generating quality job opportunities that attract and retain a skilled and diverse workforce.

We work together with our clients and partners to drive employment outcomes, acting as a destination for jobseekers and employers.

And hand-in-hand with the JTJobBoard, we provide high-quality programs that equip participants with the right skills, knowledge and attributes to make a significant and positive future impact.

Through strong partnerships and initiatives such as the JTJobBoard, we are committed to supporting individuals to reach personal, educational and career goals.

JTAcademy throws support behind women in mining

We have all heard that old and outdated expression that diamonds are a girl’s best friend; Australia’s Gold Industry Group (GIG) would like to change that to gold is the land of opportunity for women where they are finding work, long-term careers and chances to thrive professionally.

For the first time this year, the GIG’s annual Women in Gold Great Diversity Debate was taken to Sydney and Melbourne, expanding its footprint from Perth and allowing more industry participants to have their say. The tour proved to be inspiring and engaging as gold industry professionals explored the thought-provoking topic: “a diversity debate that begins and ends with gender is doomed to fail”.

The Sydney event held on November 14 was proudly sponsored by key Johnathan Thurston Academy Employment Partner, Evolution Mining. Lawrie Conway, Evolution Mining Finance Director and Chief Financial Officer was Master of Ceremonies and GIG Vice Chair and Gold Fields VP Legal and Compliance Kelly Carter adjudicated the debate which featured a diverse line up of speakers representing the gold industry.

“It was incredible to be a part of an event which was designed with the sole purpose of shining the focus on women in the gold sector and the value of the contribution they can make,” JTAcademy General Manager Samantha Johnson, who attended the debate, explained.

“At the JT Academy, we happily embrace opportunities which help us to breakdown stereotypes and other barriers to entry for women in the gold mining sector.

“Attending the debate as a representative of the JT Academy allowed us to make some important connections and let industry know we are here and happy to help them achieve diversity targets, regardless of what form they take.”

Charmaine Saltner, Evolution Mining Group Community Relations Advisor, explained the company happily embraced the chance to sponsor the event.

“This is the first year we have had the opportunity to support this event in Sydney and our Chief Operating Officer, Bob Fulker was asked to be involved in the debate,” she said.

“He immediately recognised this as an important opportunity to explain ways in which women can contribute and, as it turns out, they are pretty much the same ways men can.

“There is no reasonable or acceptable reason for women to be under-represented in Australia’s mining sector. Anything we can do as a sector and society to help women get jobs and opportunities in this sector is something we are happy to be involved with and encourage others to do the same.”

To see more about our partnership with Evolution Mining and the opportunities they are offering, visit the website.

JT visits Darwin for Aboriginal Economic Development Forum

JTAcademy team with Managing Director Johnathan Thurston and the Hon Selena Uibo.

It was a lively discussion last week when our Managing Director, Johnathan Thurston AM, hosted a session at the 9th Aboriginal Economic Development Forum in Darwin.

Thurston spoke about the work the JT Academy is doing in helping Indigenous youth access education and employment opportunities.

“Through the Academy, we have been able to provide literally thousands of young Australians with education and employment they would not otherwise have enjoyed,” Thurston said to the forum.

“We have had a focus on regional areas and now excited to be expanding into the NT where we are already starting to build key partnerships to provide these opportunities to locals.”

Thurston’s attendance at the Forum was sponsored by the JTAcademy’s major employment partner Lendlease.

Other speakers at the event include Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt, Aboriginal leader academic Professor Mick Dodson, Chair of Aboriginal Broadcasting Australia Dr Donna Odegaard and Northern Territory Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Education and Workplace Selena Uibo.

The forum, organised by the Northern Territory Government, was designed to encourage those working in Aboriginal businesses, services and programs to network with each other, share knowledge and showcase themselves.

The forum also aims to support discussion on Aboriginal economic development initiatives and strategies and attracts a diverse range of participants from Aboriginal entrepreneurs, private sector, industry, government and non-government organisations from across the Northern Territory.

“This forum was developed in response to the recognition that creating, retaining and growing Aboriginal jobs and businesses in the Northern Territory is important to the economy and wellbeing of local communities,” Thurston said.

“We have seen the value of partnerships in helping to reach those who have fallen through the cracks. We recognise that a large part of being employment-ready means having the confidence and self-belief that you can do it and that is often where we start.

“Through these partnerships and opportunities, we have seen lives change and want to keep doing that in the Northern Territory.”

Thurston has long been a passionate advocate and Ambassador for the Aboriginal community and in 2019 was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his services to rugby league and as a role model.

Listen to the interview with Johnathan and Mix 104.9 here.

New partnership provides opportunities for Indigenous jobseekers

Young indigenous jobseekers will be given access to opportunities as part of a new two year partnership between the Johnathan Thurston Academy and Australian gold mining company Evolution Mining. Applications of interest are now being accepted.

Under the partnership, indigenous youth aged between 16 and 25will be able to access the education and employment opportunities available at four of Evolution’s regional operations – Mt Carlton and Cracow in Queensland, Cowal in NSW and Mungari in Western Australia – through the Academy’s website.

“We are committed to maximising local and Indigenous employment opportunities wherever possible,” Anika McManus, Evolution Mining Group Manager External and Indigenous Relations explained.

“And we are excited about our partnership with the JTAcademy as their programs will help remove some of the barriers we identified that were preventing some locals from applying for roles.

“Supporting people in the communities in which we operate to competitively apply for jobs, not just with us, but with any company, will benefit both the community and Evolution.

“Targeted training and support around writing job applications, compiling a resume and, importantly, having the confidence to attend and succeed in a job interview, will help more people access available jobs and to have fulfilling careers.”

Thurston said the partnership had the potential to meaningfully change the lives of some who will receive work and training through it and he called on young people to register their interest.

“This partnership has been designed to allow young people in regional communities to get a leg up not just through training and employment, but even through the confidence-building which comes with that,” Thurston said.

“The Academy has been developed to help youth across Australia have more opportunities, and partnerships like this allow us to provide additional support for indigenous youth, especially those in remote and regional communities.

“But if they are to take advantage of the opportunities which are being provided, youth need to get a little pro-active and register their interest to be part of the program. It’s easy. They just need to go to the website: http://jtacademy.com.au/evolution/.”

Johnathan Thurston lifts spirits in Balonne

Australian football legend Johnathan Thurston joined forces with Balonne Shire Council to celebrate the region’s youth and community during a three-day extravaganza on August 26, 27 and 28, 2019.

JT and his team from the JTAcademy delivered workshops to primary and high school students from the local and surrounding areas designed to build self-esteem, confidence and believe in themselves.

Students took part in the academy’s JTSucceed and JTBelieve programs, both designed to encourage students to stay at school, value an education and believe they can be successful in a career of their choosing with the right support.

JT also played footy with local children, took part in a Fundraising Dinner and a farm tour and provided some motivational thoughts to employees from Balonne Shire Council.

Balonne Shire Council Deputy Mayor, Cr Fiona Gaske said JT’s visit lifted the whole community, particularly given the recent difficulties the region has experienced through the drought.

“JT being in our community was a gift because he spoke to people of all ages and from all walks of life. His appeal was universal and his message so timely for us. It was a privilege to collaborate with the JTAcademy in an event that I know transformed lives,” she said.

“The work of the JTAcademy is renowned for helping youth and our younger residents really enjoyed the workshops.”

JT Academy’s Managing Director Johnathan Thurston said he was thrilled to see so many people from the region take part in activities during his visit, with numbers far exceeding those predicted.

“Our programs have been designed to encourage kids to believe they can have a bright future, regardless of their circumstances today,” Thurston said.

“The program, in partnership with the Balonne Shire Council, focused on a number of key youth issues and worked in conjunction with the wider community.

“It was great to get out and meet with as many residents from the area as possible who I know have been doing it tough of late.

“I would like to particularly thank Balonne Shire Council, the Primary Health Network and the South West Hospital and Health Service for their support of this visit.”

For more information please call Sarah Morgan (JT Academy) on 0421 664 969 or Julie Davies Balonne Shire Council on 0476 660 047.

Evolution Mining partners with Johnathan Thurston Academy to offer employment and training opportunities

The Johnathan Thurston Academy has signed an exciting two year partnership with Evolution Mining, an Australian gold mining company, to help improve access to employment and training opportunities for local and Indigenous jobseekers aged between 16 and 25 across regional Australia.

Evolution is a relatively young company, which has quickly evolved into a globally relevant gold mining business with a reputation of delivering value for all stakeholders. Having won various awards for community, safety and operational excellence, Evolution is committed to growing their people and their communities, as they grow.

The partnership will be implemented in September at four of Evolution’s operations – Mt Carlton and Cracow in Queensland, Cowal in NSW and Mungari in WA – with a view to potentially extending the programs to other operations in future years.

The partnership, while promoting job vacancies and training opportunities, will also assist local and Indigenous participants by preparing them to be job ready, building self-confidence and developing skills in resume writing, job interviewing skills and submitting job applications.

“We are committed to maximising local and Indigenous employment opportunities wherever possible,” Anika McManus, Evolution Mining Group Manager External and Indigenous Relations explained. “And we are excited about our partnership with the JTAcademy as their programs will help remove some of the barriers we identified that were preventing some locals from applying for roles.

“Supporting people in the communities in which we operate to competitively apply for jobs, not just with us, but with any company, will benefit both the community and Evolution.

“Targeted training and support around writing job applications, compiling a resume and, importantly, having the confidence to attend and succeed in a job interview, will help more people access available jobs and to have fulfilling careers.”

Johnathan Thurston, Managing Director of the JTAcademy said partnerships, such as the one they have entered into with Evolution Mining, go a long way to equipping Indigenous youth with the skills and confidence needed to apply for work.

“The work we are doing at the Academy has been very successful in helping all youth in remote, regional and metropolitan areas around Australia access jobs and training they probably wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” Thurston said.

“While our purpose is to help as many people as we can, there is a sustained focus on offering additional support and opportunities for Indigenous youth, especially those in regional and remote communities.

“Our partnership with Evolution Mining has enormous potential to create great employment and training opportunities, which can help to significantly increase the options available for youth in regional Australia. And that’s exciting to us.

“This aligns perfectly with everything we stand for and we thank Evolution for coming on board and helping us achieve this.”

For more information please call Sarah Morgan on 0421 664 969.