Having previously never been employed, Malwal Maguang credits the Citi New Recruits Bootcamp for helping him to make a smooth transition from school to the workforce.
“The bootcamp was very influential and helpful for me to set up my future,” Malwal says.
Just one week after graduating from St Albans Secondary College, 18-year-old Malwal started an Engineering Fabrication Apprenticeship at Krueger Transport.
In late August, along with 40 other VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) students, Malwal participated in the Citi New Recruits Bootcamp at St Albans. The Bootcamp is designed to provide young people with job-ready skills and provide them with an insight into the world of work.
Malwal says the most significant information he learnt from the bootcamp was interview skills: knowledge he was able to practice in the mock interviews and then apply at his apprenticeship interview.
“Just knowing what to wear going into the interview, how to present myself and speak to the interviewer was really useful,” Malwal says.
He also found the trainers’ knowledge invaluable.
“The trainers were very good, Simon was very knowledgeable – he’s been an employer himself, so he knows exactly what the employers are looking for when they hire employees, so it was very good to get an understanding from his perspective.”
The trainers gave bootcamp participants information about WPC Group apprenticeship opportunities. Having studied a Certificate II in Engineering while at school (V-CAL), Malwal was interested in pursuing a career in the engineering industry, and saw an apprenticeship as an ideal entry point.
At the bootcamp, the trainers had helped him write up a resume, which he says gave him “a lot of confidence” when applying for the apprenticeship.
“With the bootcamp on my resume, it had a really good look – it just shows signs of initiative, that you are taking the first step in trying to prepare yourself for a job.”
Putting his newfound skills into action, Malwal impressed the team at Kreuger Transport and was offered an apprenticeship through WPC Group.
“It’s actually really hard to find an apprenticeship in my area, so the bootcamp made the transition much easier,” Malwal says.
Looking into the future, Malwal would like to become a qualified fabricator in the engineering field.
“I might start my own business one day, but at the moment, my main goal is finishing the apprenticeship, getting on top of the workload…and just progressing from there,” he says.