A real career in construction, with Mettle beside you from day one.
Indigenous Construction Career Pathways Program
Good people doing good things together
What is this?
The Indigenous Pathways Program is Mettle’s structured path into a construction career for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. It’s launching in Queensland, backed by Mettle’s Reconciliation Action Plan, with Wests Bulldogs Rugby Club and Cultural Advisor James Alley of AJA Solutions helping shape it from the ground up.
It’s for school leavers, career changers, and everyone in between. You don’t need a perfect CV or a plan for the next ten years. You just need to want to give it a go. We’ll figure out the rest together.
The two pathways
On-the-tools
Apprenticeships and traineeships in trades like carpentry, electrical, plumbing and more, through one of Mettle’s subcontractor partners. Most training is free for eligible candidates. From your trade, there’s a path into Leading Hand and site supervision if that’s where you want to go.
In-the-office
A cadetship with Mettle itself, rotating through estimating, site coordination and contracts administration. Enter through study, a traineeship, or if you’re already partway through a construction-related degree or diploma, straight in.
Whichever pathway you choose, you’re not on your own. A conversation with our team helps match you to the right one, and it’s fine if you’re not sure yet.
What Mettle provides
- A Mettle mentor. A senior Mettle person in your corner for the whole journey, not just the first few weeks.
- A starter pack. Tools, PPE and first-day essentials, ready before you start.
- Paid training time. Time at TAFE or in study is paid and not something you need to fit around work.
- Cultural leave. NAIDOC Week, Sorry Business and community obligations are all standard.
- Regular check-ins. From week one through to twelve months and beyond, so nothing falls through the cracks.
Who we’re doing this with
This program is proudly supported by Wests Bulldogs Rugby Club and James Alley of AJA Solutions.
Wests Bulldogs is a valued partner and referral channel, but this program is open to everyone, not just their network. James Alley is embedded in how this program works – every Mettle supervisor and mentor completes cultural awareness training with James before working with any candidate.
Ready to have a chat?
Registering your interest only takes a moment.
There’s no lengthy application, just enough for us to get in touch and start the conversation.