Council welcomes fresh talent through its doors

Published on 02 February 2026

MACKAY Regional Council welcomed 10 new employees through its doors this morning as apprentices and trainees.

A further five apprentices and trainees will join council in the coming weeks.

Mayor Greg Williamson congratulated the successful applicants, saying the Apprentice and Trainee Program provided an invaluable pathway into both council and the wider workforce.

“Congratulations to all our new apprentices and trainees – council is a fantastic place to begin your career and we’re thrilled to welcome people from diverse backgrounds into our organisation,” Mayor Williamson said.

“Our Apprenticeship and Traineeship Program often leads to long-term employment and we’re extremely proud that many past participants are still contributing to council more than a decade later,” he said.

“This program is central to our long-term workforce planning – it helps us pass on knowledge from one generation to the next while strengthening skills and capability across council and our broader community.”

Former trainee Peta Burridge said her traineeship kick-started her career in youth work.

“My traineeship has been the highlight of my career – I learnt so much and everyone in the team was so encouraging and supportive,” Ms Burridge said.

“As a Youth Worker Trainee, I learnt how to support youth councils and run activities for young people, and now in my job as a Youth Worker at council I work with a large range of young people across the Mackay region every day,” she said.

Former horticulture trainee Tahni Cross said council provided the career change opportunity she was looking for.

“For me, it’s been a great way to try something different – to transition to a role outside of the office and broaden my skillset,” Ms Cross said.

“I did a Certificate III in Horticulture at council’s Nursery and then moved to Natural Areas on the Beach Crew and now I am a full-time Parks Maintenance Officer at the Botanic Gardens,” she said.

“I wanted to try something different – this was a really good opportunity to broaden my skillset and I really love it.”

Apprentices and trainees starting today included:

• Live Production and Staging Trainee at the MECC.
• Youth Worker Trainee working across Mackay, Sarina and the Pioneer Valley communities.
• Two Library Services trainees working across Gordon White and Dudley Denny library branches.
• Information Technology Trainee in council’s Corporate Services team.
• Business Trainee working across the Customer Experience and Waste Services teams.
• Apprentice Mechanic (Small Engine) starting at the Paget Workshop.
• Apprentice Plumber starting in the Field Services team.
• Apprentice Electrician starting in the Facilities and Open Spaces team.
• Horticulture Trainee starting in the Parks Maintenance team.

Image: New apprentices and trainees start at council: (Left to right) Felicity Allen, Jade Coleman, Hailey Quiazon, Flynn Cureton, Katie Large, Kai-Yi Comerford, Patrick Gleeson, Mayor Greg Williamson, CEO Gerard Carlyon, Jake Toonen, Claire Pasetti, Tyler Casey.