Nick Johns-Wickberg
Sometimes, all you need is a clear pathway to a brighter future.
That was the case for Hayden Sneesby, an HVAC&R apprentice and proud Bundjalung man who found a promising career thanks to the Precise Air Aboriginal Pathways (PAAP) program.
The PAAP is a collaboration between TAFE NSW, Precise Air Group, and Aboriginal Employment Strategy. Its first iteration saw 10 Indigenous students from across New South Wales come together to connect with their culture and learn valuable new skills.
For Sneesby, the program wasn’t just a means of career advancement; it was an introduction to the world of HVAC&R, one that suits him perfectly.
“I first heard about the PAAP through Aboriginal Employment Strategy when they contacted me to see if I’d be interested in the program,” he says. “That’s really the first time I thought about a career in HVAC&R for myself. I’d been looking for something that was hands-on and would give me long-term opportunities, so this was a good fit.”
But for those who designed the PAAP, building skills and employability is only part of the picture.
A precise plan
Kelly Borskjaer is the Group Marketing and Communications Manager at Precise Air Group. She says Precise Air identified Closing the Gap initiatives as one of the key ways in which the company could create a program that contributed to education while also engaging with important community issues.
Precise Air initiated the PAAP by reaching out to TAFE NSW’s Aboriginal Education and Engagement team in March 2023 and was thrilled with the response.
“From the outset, the level of enthusiasm, engagement and innovation that came from the TAFE NSW Aboriginal Education and Engagement team, led by Sharon Taylor, was incredible and a motivator for us to continue to develop this program with them over the next six months,” Borskjaer says.
“The leadership and dedication of the Aboriginal Education and Engagement team in ensuring that this was a culturally rich and inclusive program that also met all of Precise Air’s employment objectives was impressive.”
While everyone was on the same page, designing such a program from scratch and implementing it over a relatively short timeframe was never going to be easy.
“This was the first time that any of us had designed a direct employment program that included industry, education, employment and mentoring organisations,” Borskjaer says. “There were many challenges and moments where we wondered whether we would make it to the end, but everyone was very persistent and focused on making a difference for these students.”
Sharon Taylor is the Senior Manager Aboriginal Education & Engagement, North Region at TAFE NSW. She was heavily involved in developing and implementing the first round of the PAAP, which took place in November 2023 in Grafton.
Cultural connections
Taylor emphasises that the PAAP is not just an employment pathway program, but also offers a chance for participants to learn more about their own culture and build a sense of community.
“The program focused on connection to build confidence and relationships between the students, Precise Air and our team – this was important due to it being a five-day program,” Taylor says.
“This was achieved by holding a yarning circle on day one, meeting the team, a Welcome to Country by local Elder Aunty Robyn, and attending an ‘on-country experience’, where everyone felt relaxed, and connection and conversations flowed.
“The Aboriginal Education and Engagement Team mentored the students from day one and provided wrap-around support that has continued to today.”
For Sneesby, the PAAP and his subsequent work for PAG have allowed him to create and strengthen connections with his mob – the Bundjalung people – and experience his cultural heritage in a completely different light.
“Because I live in Awabakal and Worimi Lands, it was really great for me to meet Elders from the Bundjalung mob, which is my mob,” Sneesby says. “I got to learn a lot more about my own culture.
“Going up to Grafton for the program was great – my Bundjalung mob is originally from up there. I met some of the Elders and they knew some of my people, which was really cool. I learnt some more of my language too.”
A meal and a yarn
Mealtime has always been an important opportunity for people to come together and communicate. Taylor notes that this is a particularly important tradition in Indigenous Australian cultures, and one the PAAP organisers wanted to emphasise during the program.
“I think to the average person, seeing a group of people sitting around a dining table would simply look like a group of people having dinner,” Taylor says. “However, connections were being made and barriers were coming down.
“Breakfast and dinner time provided opportunities to debrief in a culturally safe space, yarning freely. This is how we did things traditionally, by sharing food and yarning.”
Taylor says one of the key components of mealtime was not just the yarning itself, but creating a safe and stress-free space where the students could get to know the instructors without feeling intimidated or awkward.
“Breakfast being the start of the day created an atmosphere where questions could be asked,” she says. “Students were feeling anxious and this broke down the barriers and built relationships.”
All-purpose skills
Taylor says the PAAP aims to provide a holistic experience and soft skills that are useful for all forms of employment, not just for a future career in HVAC&R.
“The pre-employment training incorporates cultural practices to build connections, builds capacity, and gives participants guidance and encouragement from the local community and TAFE NSW employees,” Taylor says. “This helps connect employers with potential employees through culture. It also offers mentorship and intense support to help the successful participants navigate different work environments.”
Several participants have identified interview preparation as one of the most useful components of the course.
“During the program, students completed their resumés, applied for their preferred position, and practised interviews,” Taylor says. “They then obtained their construction induction white card, toured the HVAC classrooms and met the HVAC teachers.
“After graduating from the PAAP, the students were equipped with foundation knowledge in workplace safety, electrotechnology and the refrigeration or HVAC industry and pre-employment training such as interview skills.”
Everyone’s a winner
While the benefits for the students are clear, attendees and instructors from Precise Air also gained plenty from the PAAP.
“By bringing together the TAFE NSW Aboriginal Education and Engagement team, Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES), the HVAC trades teachers, Precise Air’s team and the students at the five-day on-site program in Grafton, we all developed a really strong bond that continues to today,” Borskjaer says.
But the benefits of the program extend beyond personal connection and development for the Precise Air staff who attended. Through the PAAP, the company has found a new talent pool of up-and-coming technicians who feel motivated, culturally safe, and excited for their future in the HVAC&R industry.
“This collaboration has been such a success that of the 10 PAAP students, Precise Air has directly employed six students, and we will be running this program again in 2024,”. Borskjaer says. “The remaining four students continue to be assisted by the Aboriginal Education and Engagement team and AES teams into further education and employment opportunities.
All-round confidence
One of the great outcomes of the PAAP has been seeing the students come out of their shell and work together, not just during the course itself, but in both their jobs and studies afterwards.
“When they commenced the PAAP program, the participants were not quite sure what to expect, but they were willing to learn about the HVAC industry and about Precise Air in general,” Borskjaer says.
“They were very inquisitive and asked a lot of good questions. Meeting other participants who shared the same fears and hopes I think was a blessing because they came together as a very strong group of individuals and supported each other from the moment they met.
“When they were interviewed on the last day in Grafton, they were ‘pumped’ and could not wait to put their best foot forward and demonstrate what it meant for them to be given this opportunity.”
That self-belief is not just internal – it’s almost palpable when the participants are applying their skills on the job site.
“Although it has been less than a year since our PAAP candidates started their apprenticeship, I have seen an eagerness to learn and willingness to contribute to their team and to the business in general,” Borskjaer says. “They have demonstrated a marked improvement in how they carry themselves, how they approach their day-to-day tasks, how they communicate internally and externally with their peers, managers and head teachers.”
Sneesby is a prime example of this. The feeling of cultural safety and connection he experienced during the PAAP has also fed back into his work, giving him a sense of self-assurance that is proving beneficial on the job.
“It definitely strengthens connection with community and culture by allowing you to meet different people from the community,” Sneesby says. “It also strengthened my confidence in talking to people about the job, what I do and what I can do. I learned to connect with people and what they’re needing.”
Future focus
One of the most important outcomes of a program such as PAAP is simply connecting participants with work they enjoy and feel they can do well. For Sneesby, that means a job that keeps him active both mentally and physically, something he has found as an apprentice HVAC&R technician.
“I love that the job is always busy, I’m always on my feet,” Sneesby says. “There’s always really new and different jobs and I have a good time with my supervisor. We get along real good so it makes my day go along better.
“I enjoy the problem solving in being a service technician, I get deep into the system and find out what the faults are.”
A lot of people Sneesby’s age don’t have a clear idea of what to expect from their future. But the PAAP has provided him with not just a pathway into the HVAC&R industry, but inspiration for what his career could look like much further down the track.
“I’ve got a few plans – I’m interested in taking on further study to get my project management degree or diploma,” he says.
And while the program has helped him establish his roots at home, that hasn’t stopped him from casting his eye to the other side of the world.
“At some point, I want to travel to my number one destination: Canada,” Sneesby says. “I can take my skills and work in this trade over there, meet new people, live their lifestyle and see the differences in people and climate.”
With enough imagination and the right support, it seems that anything is possible for these students.
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