Phillip Jose (PJ) started his career as a trainee. Today, as the Schools to Jobs Manager, he is drawing on his own journey to help young people build pathways into education, training and employment.
“I was once that young person.”
It’s a simple explanation, but it explains PJ’s motivation to take on the Schools to Jobs role. Having started his own career as a trainee, he now wants to give young people the same kind of support he received when he was starting out.
PJ began his career as a trainee with the Department of Housing in 2020. From there, he progressed into management and community service roles before joining Cape York Partnership and the School to Jobs Team.
He said the opportunity to work with young people from the region was one of the things that drew him to the role.
“I hope to be consistent with the program, to continuously engage with our young people and provide the same support that I received when I was younger,” he said.
Born and raised in Gimuy (Cairns), PJ is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander with connections to the Eastern Kuku-Yalanji people from the Daintree regions as well as Mau (Moa) Island and Erub Island in the Torres Strait.
PJ says Schools to Jobs supports young people, particularly students in Years 10–12, to explore career pathways and prepare for life after school. The team helps students identify their strengths and career aspirations, develop resumes and interview skills, obtain identification, access work experience, secure apprentices and traineeships, and gain exposure to different industries. The team also begins conversations with younger students early on, giving them more time to understand their options and prepare for future opportunities.
A core part of what they do is that their support is highly practical. Sometimes the barrier is as practical as help getting to their placements.
“Transport is a really big thing that we do,” PJ said.
“Sometimes it’s early morning pickups and late drop-offs. Whatever support they need, we’re here for them.”
While transport may be part of that support, PJ says the longer-term goal is to build independence, including helping young people work towards obtaining their licences.
“There are many different barriers that we understand that young people face, and so in order to successfully engage and support these young people, we have to be flexible,” he said. For PJ, building strong relationships with employers is an important part of Schools to Jobs. By working closely with local businesses and industry partners, the team can connect young people with work experience, training opportunities and pathways into employment.
“These relationships give young people the chance to learn what different industries are really like, build their confidence and gain practical experience before stepping into the workforce,” he said. The impact PJ and his team want is to make sure that young kids from Year 12 go into a secure, full-time employment or = further education after they finish school.
He wants young people to build skills and connections they can carry with them – including back into their home communities – and to have the confidence to make decisions about their own future. Having a young daughter has also made him think about why that matters.
“Because they’re our next generation,” he said. “When I’m old and grey, they’ll be the ones that will take over.”
PJ's journey from trainee to manager shows young people that a first opportunity can become the beginning of something much bigger. Now, through Schools to Jobs, he is helping others take those first steps – giving them the support, experience and confidence to build pathways of their own.
“It’s all about empowering them and helping build them to succeed in the future,” he said
FOR THE LOVE OF OUR CHILDREN
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