The North Queensland Toyota Cowboys' award-winning Dream, Believe, Achieve program is vying for a state award this week alongside Queensland's best training initiatives, paying testament to the hard work and success of its participants.
These include another 10 graduates who have secured employment since Dream, Believe, Achieve was named Community Training Initiative of the Year at the North Queensland regional finals of the Queensland Training Awards in July.
The program will now compete against six other community training initiatives across the state, to be announced as part of a special Diamond Jubilee live virtual event from 6pm this Friday at desbt.qld.gov.au.
The latest round of Dream, Believe, Achieve graduates have commenced work with local hospitality venues including The Ville Resort-Casino and Pandanus Catering (Queensland Country Bank Stadium), as a new intake of 26 students start their life-changing journey this month.
The program has also established a brand-new partnership with Compass Group, providing FIFO hospitality opportunities in the mining sector with 10 past students already signed on to a pre-employment intake.
Cowboys Chief Community and Government Relations Officer Fiona Pelling said the successful ongoing employment outcomes and enthusiasm for local industry partners to continually hire graduates is a reflection of the students' determination.
“Ultimately, the success of the Dream, Believe, Achieve program is up to the students who make the decision to study with us and create meaningful opportunities for themselves,” she said.
“It's fantastic to win awards, but what's most rewarding for us is seeing our students graduate with their qualifications and take positive steps towards improving their own lives.
“We continue to hear success stories of our students climbing the career ladder and kicking personal goals, so really these awards are recognition of their attitude and commitment to the program.”
Dream, Believe, Achieve has helped hundreds of North Queenslanders gain industry-recognised qualifications and find long-term employment through in-class training, one-on-one mentoring and work experience placements with industry partners.
The program delivered 69 graduates in 2018 and 80 graduates in 2019 across six intakes, while in a COVID-disrupted 2020 the program delivered 47 graduates.
For more information or to register for a course, visit cowboys.com.au/DBA.
