Record Deadly Start trainee cohort welcomed as Metro North kicks off NAIDOC Week

Deadly Start trainees ready to commence at Metro North Health.

Forty new Deadly Start trainees, the largest cohort of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students yet, have started their school-based traineeships at Metro North this week in time for NAIDOC Week.

The Grade 11 students will embark on culturally supported pathways into future healthcare careers, as Metro North celebrates both a record number of trainees as well as a new apprenticeship program for the plumbing sector.

Metro North Deadly Start Senior Project Officer Alicia Grantham said the mammoth trainee cohort would be welcomed through a number of events this week, aligned to NAIDOC Week.

“This year we’re excited to welcome our largest cohort of trainees to date, along with our first two school-based plumbing apprentices through Metro North Health’s Building, Engineering and Mechanical Services team,” she said,

“It’s inspiring to see so many young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people choosing a career in healthcare and essential services. They bring unique strengths, lived experience and an important cultural perspective that will help shape a more culturally safe and responsive health service for our communities.”

Last year, 13 Metro North Deadly Start graduates took up paid employment within Queensland Health, following completion of 12-18 months of their relevant traineeship.

Areas of on-the-job training include administration, allied health, nursing, patient support, cooking, food services, pharmacy and other health work.

The Deadly Start program, born from Metro North’s commitment to Closing the Gap, now runs across Queensland Health and is offered to high school students across the State.