Following an action-packed National Careers Week, Heng and Ash headed to ‘Queensland’s largest Careers & Employment Expo.’
The event, held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, brought together a diverse range of industries, educational institutions, and job seekers, creating an atmosphere buzzing with career opportunities. The team were on a mission to connect promising young fishers with possible careers in the commercial fishing industry.
After hopping off the plane (and a quick lunch), our team were straight to work setting up Austral’s booth for the next 2 days. As usual, we brought our VR prawn fishing experience and plenty of merchandise to giveaway.
Day 1 saw the team chat with what seemed like an endless stream of students coming through the booth, many of which were keen fishers who fished almost every weekend! Many students expressed surprise that a career as a fisher was possible let alone the many opportunities that exist once further qualifications and training is obtained. This gave students some food for thought on how they could turn their interests and hobbies into a career. A key highlight of day 1 was when we had multiple students huddling together in our crowded booth, showing each other pictures of their catches, and comparing fishing spots.
“This was the first time Austral has attended a careers expo on this scale, so we had no idea what to expect. We received such a warm welcome from the friendly people of Brisbane as many expressed surprise and excitement that a fishing company was present at such an event.” said Ashley, HR Officer.
The stream of visitors to the expo on Day 2 did not slow down. Heng and Ash found themselves using the ‘divide and conquer strategy’ to make sure all visitors to our booth, left as happy customers with a little more knowledge about the business and careers in fishing than they arrived with.
The team spoke with many parents enthusiastic about how a career in fishing may be suitable for their children and open to hearing more about Austral Fisheries. Our booth was buzzing with meaningful and good questions! Opportunities like these to speak directly with parents are valuable when encouraging students into a career pathway that is not often spoken about.
“We ran into a former Northern Prawn Fishery Skipper who was attending the expo to help his daughter find job opportunities. He didn’t expect to see us at the expo but spotted his former vessel (Newfish 2) on our banner from a mile away; that night he contacted us expressing interest about getting back into a career in commercial fishing with Austral. It was great to hear him reflect so fondly about his time at sea,” said Ash.
A special shout out to Braxton from Caboolture State High School who scored a whopping 6500 points on our VR prawn fishing experience with one hand!
As the expo drew to a close, the team reflected on their experiences with immense satisfaction. The event had provided an avenue to connect with individuals from various backgrounds and aspirations, sparking inspiration and igniting the flame of the possibility of a career in fishing. The team have got a good feeling they have met a future Austral Skipper and Marine Engineer.
“It was an amazing experience meeting some students who might become future Austral members. I saw a lot of potential in many people, and how they can fit into our Austral Academy program. I felt that Brisbanewas the most ideal place to promote our prawn fisheries and the Academy. I hope to have some of the people from the Brisbane Careers Expo as my colleagues soon,” said Heng, Stock Control and Logistics Manger.
To find out more about what a career in fishing could look like for you, get in touch with us today or check out our new Careers Hub, featuring career pathway resources, stories of our crew and an overview of our business.