Tannum Sands High School EQIP program nominated in Queensland Community Achievement Award

The program has been commended for helping students prepare for the workforce.

Tannum Sands High School's Education Queensland Industry Partners program was nominated for a Queensland Community Achievement Award. Picture: EQIP students volunteering at this year’s Boyne Tannum HookUp

A high school program which helps students get workforce ready has been nominated for a Queensland Community Achievement Award.

Tannum Sands High School’s Education Queensland Industry Partners program was nominated in the awards under the Awards Australia Community Group of the Year category.

Tannum High’s program, EQIP, is a unique, not-for-profit initiative which helps 50 Year 10- 12 students from three Gladstone state high schools experience vocational education.

The high school coordinates the EQIP Business, Industry and Tourism Skills Centre (EBITS) campus at Boyne Smelter, where students spend one day per week learning different certificate courses in business, active volunteering and tourism.

EQIP organiser Tonita Williams said the program introduced students to an authentic workplace, and gave them invaluable experience surrounding workplace health and safety, time management and an insight into how large corporations work.

Ms Williams believes the program was nominated in the awards due to the amount of hours students spent volunteering at various events.

She said students had volunteered at more than 20 events, including the Boyne Tannum Hook Up, Awoonga Dam Fun Day, Beach Arts Music, Ecofest and Harbour Festival.

“Quite often when we ask our students what their most favourite thing about the course, 90 per cent of the time they say it was the volunteer work,” she said.

“All of these community events couldn't happen without volunteers and our students turn up every time, in their own time, at weekends or after school often also juggling part time work and assessments from other subjects.”

Ms Williams said the group was ‘stoked’ about the nomination.

“We never do this for any recognition or accolades … that‘s not what volunteering is about,” she said.

“We teach our kids not matter what community you’re in, you need to be apart of it and it’s all about the intrinsic reward you get from it.”

The Queensland Community Achievement Awards exist to encourage, acknowledge and reward the valuable contributions that individuals, communities and businesses are making throughout Queensland.

Finalists will be presented and winners announced at an Awards Gala Presentation Dinner in Brisbane on November 5, 2021.

Category winners receive a share in some fabulous prizes and a trophy.