Young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Townsville have a new career pathway with leading Townsville air conditioning, refrigeration and electrical contractor Peak ARE now officially a ‘friend’ of NRL Cowboys House.
NRL Cowboys House is a unique, culturally safe boarding facility for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women attending partner schools in Townsville.
Now, being a Friend of the House, Peak will provide students with on-site work experience, and learning and career opportunities across a variety of areas including refrigeration, electrical, construction, fabrication, warehousing, administration, sales, and business management.
Peak Sales Manager Allan Petersen said the alliance was part of the company’s broader commitment to boosting opportunities for First Nations people.
“We established our inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2022 as part of Peak’s ongoing journey to lift Indigenous participation within our business,” Allan said. “A key deliverable of our RAP is to create and strengthen more meaningful relationships with our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in North Queensland. Becoming a friend of NRL Cowboys House is a wonderful step towards achieving that goal, allowing us to work together to deliver education and employment opportunities to students.”
Peak ARE celebrated its 20-year Anniversary last month and has a long-held reputation for excellent workmanship and service. It now employs more than 90 staff across sites in Townsville and Mackay and has overcome many challenges throughout the years.
The biggest current business obstacle is being able to source skilled tradespeople.
“We are committed to training the next generation of tradespeople and have a one-to-one ratio of qualified tradespeople to apprentices already,” Allan said. “Our partnership with NRL Cowboys House will be doubly beneficial, as it will not only help our team learn and grow on our reconciliation journey and provide career opportunities to young Indigenous people, but it will also result in more qualified workers in our industry who might otherwise not have had the opportunity to achieve a trade.”
Cowboys Community Foundation Director Fiona Pelling said Peak ARE’s genuine commitment to Indigenous youth and employment pathways was the perfect match for NRL Cowboys House.
“Many of our students are hands-on learners and love taking on an apprenticeship or trade, with this partnership opening career pathways they previously may not have thought of,” she said.
Read more about the partnership HERE