LICENSING & TRAINING NEWS
With Peter Smith
Licensing and Training Manager

Brisbane Careers Expo

Queensland Racing staff handed out over 150 information kits and hundreds of brochures during the recent Careers Expo at the Brisbane Convention Centre.

During the three day event they also met and spoke to many young people and parents.

While the expo is often thought of in relation to more traditional trades and skills as well as large industries, there is a continuing need to promote careers in rural, agricultural and horse related industries.

To this end, Queensland racing teamed up with the following organisations to promote careers in this sector.

• AgForce
• University of Queensland Gatton Campus
• Queensland Agricultural colleges
• Colonial Agriculture Company
• NAPCo – The North Australian pastoral Company
• Animal Industries – Department of Primary Industries

These organisations along with Queensland Racing took up a large stand under the banner of “Animals, Plants and Science”.

Training Department staff helped set up the stand which included the “Equsizer Horse” from the Deagon training centre, plasma screen, displays of career materials, brochures and other items.

The stand also featured some split rail fencing, bales of hay and saddles.

Queensland Racing is discussing further cooperation with these organisations in relation to regional training.

As well, discussions will be held with the convention promoters regarding specific promotional activities for racing industry careers in Queensland, particularly in regional areas.

Advanced media training for apprentices

All apprentices, as part of their apprenticeship are required to complete the unit of training known as “Manage personal and business affairs”.

This unit includes training related to participation in media and press interviews and use of marketing techniques for promoting your services as a jockey.

Apprentices in South East Qld and the Darling Downs have commenced a program of media and marketing training.

The sessions are being delivered by Michael Blucher of Straight2.

Michael specialises in advising and training sports people on how to present and market themselves in their chosen sport.

Michael’s clients include the North Queensland Cowboys, the Queensland Reds, the Queensland Bulls and the Broncos so the apprentices are in good hands.

The sessions will continue through July with smaller workshops. The areas being covered include developing your own image or brand with those who count, dealing with perceptions, understanding and using the media.

The Training Department are also fortunate to have had the support and services of Christian Letford of SKY Channel and Bernie Pramberg of News Ltd for the media segments.

Christian Letford has developed a media interview training DVD for the benefit of all Queensland apprentices.

This DVD was made with the assistance of former champion apprentice and now outstanding jockey, Michael Rodd.

Michael’s acting skills came to the fore in this production as he modelled how not to give an interview.

He then followed up with a text book demonstration of how a well prepared professional jockey could respond to a series of interview questions.

Program for Monday May 29th covered the following:
Session 1 Marketing

• How to market yourself
• Building and managing your ‘brand’
• Perceptions how they affect you and how you can manage them
• Presenter – Michael Blucher

Session 2 – Media

• Role of the media
• How to use the media
• Tips for communicating with the media
• Presenters – Michael Blucher & Media Panel – Christian Letford (Sky Channel) & Bernie Pramberg (News Ltd)

The DVD mentioned above will be distributed to all Queensland apprentices along with other training materials to support this aspect of apprentice training.

This seminar was the second in a series sponsored by Kevin Dixon and organised by Matthew Mason and Jeanette Hannah of Queensland Racing’s Training Department.