Imogen Young-Moloney (left) will be heading to Sydney for the NSW Training Awards after working as a business support officer for the past 18 months at Wagga Wagga City Council under People and Culture Officer Mel Risby. Photos: Jarryd Rowley.
When finishing school in Culcairn, like many before her, Imogen Young-Moloney believed she had to choose between only two career options: study at a university, or find a job in Culcairn.
However, after moving to Wagga and enrolling in the Australian College of Commerce & Management to complete a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course for a Certificate III in Business, Imogen landed a role at Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) as a Business Support Officer.
Fast-forward 18 months, and Imogen has now been named the Trainee of the Year at the Riverina Regional Training Awards. Now, she will travel to Sydney to contest the NSW Training Awards, where she hopes to take the state title and advance to the 2025 Australian Training Awards in Darwin in October.
Looking back at her time completing her Certificate III in Business, Imogen admits her current position is not what she originally thought she would be doing, coming from a small country town.
“I started a traineeship as a trainee business support officer for People and Culture at the WWCC HR department,” she said.
“It’s a lot of administration. I help with safety, recruitment, learning and development, and a whole variety of different areas within council.
“I came from all outdoor, quite labour-intensive, heavy roles, so I never actually saw myself in this role. Sitting in an office wasn’t something that I ever imagined myself doing.
“I was originally a lifeguard. I was very outdoors, very physical. But one day, I saw the job online and I thought it looked cool.
“I put in an application just to see what would happen, and they appeared to like me enough,” she joked.
Imogen has been working at Wagga Wagga City Council for the past 18 months while also completing her Certificate III in Business.
Since starting with WWCC, Imogen has been part of several projects, including promoting the council’s traineeship programs.
“I’ve worked with our Try A Trade and Tertiary Expo stores,” she said.
“When I came on, I was able to work with Mel [Risby], and then also our graphic design team, where we came up with all new merchandise, all new banners promoting the new programs, as well as working on new branding for our tertiary days and expos.”
Supporting Imogen in her position and training at the council is People and Culture Officer Mel Risby, who praised the effectiveness of VET courses in providing workplace education for people looking to make a career in their chosen field.
“We’ve had some school-based trainees and apprentices, where school just wasn’t for them,” Ms Risby said.
“We worked with them to find a training organisation that best suits them, and that’s the beauty of working with training organisations. We’ve got the flexibility to provide the best learning method for the trainee or apprentice, whether that be online or in person.”
Imogen will be heading to the NSW Training Awards this Thursday (11 September), where she is hopeful of advancing to the 2025 Australian Training Awards in Darwin.
“I think that’s one of their biggest things that they look for when they are going through all the nominations, is your ability to be an ambassador for vocational education,” she said.
“I feel like I have had so much experience in the past year and a half with the council in being an ambassador for vocational education, and WWCC has definitely helped me get as far as I have.
“If you win state, you go back to Sydney for a week or so, and they do development sessions and things with you, things like how to speak more clearly, how to be an ambassador, public speaking, all those types of things, before you go through to Darwin.
“I didn’t think I’d experience any of this when I first applied, but if I could go back, I’d do it all again.”
