Last week marked a milestone for the STEPS Skills for Education and Training (SEE) program in Cairns due to the efforts of one of their tenacious young indigenous students.
Earning the reputation as “Mr Reliable”, 17 year old Harrison McCarthy became the first indigenous youth to complete the Cairns program that aims to improve literacy and numeracy skills for further education and employment.
Harrison joined the program in October of last year to improve his reading and writing skills and has since maintained 100% attendance.
STEPS Training Coordinator Sinead Murphy, who has closely watched Harrison’s achievements over the last 10 months, said that the determination and true grit shown by Harrison in his training will make him an attractive candidate for potential employers.
Harrison is interested in pursuing a career in agriculture and has engaged in the selection process for a Certificate II in Agriculture which will see him spending several months living and working on a cattle station learning industry skills.
“Harrison is the first Indigenous youth to complete all 800 hrs of the program in one attempt here in Cairns. We at Steps are all very proud of him”, Ms Murphy said.
