Young Graduates Building Futures

Congratulations to the participants who recently received their Certificate II in Civil Construction through our new pilot program, Banksia Hill Detention Centre Civil Construction Set Project.  

As a part of our Justice program and with the Department of Justice, the pilot program is a 16-unit qualification, including an excavator ticket, that aims to make participants worksite ready for a job in construction. 

Bunuru Youth Mentor, Chris Burns, said that the program provides participants with new opportunities and ideas for their future. 

“It’s just giving them a different option, a different idea or a different thought process from an opportunity they might not have had before and it’s such a buzz.” 

Corrective Services Commissioner, Brad Royce, said, “It’s promising to see young people who will leave Banksia Hill with skills, qualifications and prospects that they didn’t have when they came into our care,” he said. 

“They’re setting a great example for other detainees to follow, and we wish them every success with the new opportunities their hard work will bring about.” 

The training has doubled as a building project for the participants taking part, with the group using the learning opportunity to renovate the Centre’s social visits area. 

“The boys are really proud of what they’ve done,” Banksia Hill vocational teacher Nigel Reid said. “They’ll have family come to the visitor centre and see the work they’ve completed.” 

“It’s good to know the Centre is getting something out of it,” one trainee said. “You’re not just moving dirt around – we’re going to see a finished product and make this part of the Centre look better.”