Corpus Christi High Year 11 student Luke Turnbull and Warilla High Year 11 student Ella Edward were part of last year’s SES workshop and internship program. Photo: Kellie O’Brien.
A one-day workshop with the NSW SES Shellharbour City Unit has not only educated high school students about critical flood safety but is leading to a fresh breed of volunteers.
The NSW SES partnered with Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) to run the workshop twice last year and again last week (28 June), with the workshops rolling into a 10-week SES internship program for those students interested.
Shellharbour City Unit Commander, Inspector Ray Merz, said the workshop was primarily aimed to educate high school students about the organisation and critical flood safety tools and response tactics to keep their families and communities safe during flood events.
Inspector Merz said 25 students from southern Illawarra schools spent most of the day at the Shellharbour unit in Albion Park, which was a follow-on from last year’s trial events.
“We take them through several of the tasks and activities the SES generally undertake,” he said.
“We’re introducing them to things like sandbagging, pumping, tarping and introducing them to some of the equipment and vehicles we use.
“There’s a lot of self-help type things, which are skills they can take home and use for their own preparedness during floods and storms and to help their own families and communities as well.”
The students also learned teamwork skills, problem solving and for those learning to drive, what it means to drive safely during different events.
Shellharbour unit volunteer Nikki Ristoski, who was instrumental in starting the program, said students were chosen through their career advisers based on their interest.
Ms Ristoski said the workshops also rolled into a 10-week youth internship program, which last year was conducted as a trial program that managed to attract four students and their parents as volunteers.
“They did the workshop, then they did the 10-week internship program, and now they’re all in orange having done their fundamental training, and they’re going out in the field in the trucks with our members,” she said.
“It’s not necessarily built around becoming an SES volunteer, but they learn different skills they could take into their workplace, whatever their career ambition might be.
“Most important is what they can do to prepare and keep their families safe.”
Two of those graduating students were helping with the workshop last week – Corpus Christi High Year 11 student Luke Turnbull and Warilla High Year 11 student Ella Edwards.
Ella said it came up as an option during a careers event while she was attending her previous school, Corpus Christi High.
“One option was the SES internship program, which is basically for kids in high school that get to do a 10-week program and graduate at the end of it and get to learn all these new skills,” she said.
“From there, we did the 10-week internship program and, in that time, we got to learn real-world experiences and about the real-world qualifications we could get out of it if we were to join the SES.
“After the internship had finished, we decided to join up as volunteers.
“Now we’ve finished Job Ready and we’re in the middle of our storm and water training, so we get to go out and do sandbagging, community engagements, and activities like this workshop.”
Joining in January and now donning their orange uniforms, the pair have so far helped with sandbagging during the recent Illawarra floods and volunteered at an SES NSW open day.
“A lot of us did the SES open day, because a part of that volunteering is doing community engagement,” she said.
“You get to be involved with the community, talk with people, and talk with kids and share your experience.
“We are full-time high school students, so it can be done.”
Luke said he had already looked at career opportunities through the SES and possibly working at the SES NSW headquarters.
“It’s a really good safe learning environment,” Luke said.
“If you’re to join as a volunteer, you become part of an adult learning environment. You’re also learning about real-world situations.”
Ella said it was an important skill to have in the Illawarra.
“It floods so easily here, so it’s really important we have that sense of community to work together to sandbag and help people clear stuff out of gutters,” she said.
“There’s lots of jobs and lots of opportunities.”
Among the 25 workshop students was Albion Park High student Olivia Ross.
“Mum works for the SES and she told me to get involved because she thought it would be something I’d be interested in,” Olivia said.
“I want to learn about the volunteer side of it and potentially an internship.”
The next youth internship will start next term, with places already filled and most of the students enrolled in the program part of last week’s workshop.
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