L-R: Tom Hammond and Alastair Prout (Chief Engineer) at our QantasLink Hanger in Tamworth with Oxley Clontarf Academy students. Image Credit: Barry Smith, Norther Daily Leader Newspaper

Meet Tom Hammond, at 17 he’s a school-based trainee at QantasLink’s base maintenance facility in Tamworth where our engineers maintain a fleet of Q400, Q300 and Q200 aircraft.

Tom works in the material and logistics department, which is where aircraft parts are kept and catalogued, and his tasks include stocktake, receiving and dispatching goods, and sending the right parts to whichever airport needs them. Tom said he enjoys it “heaps”.

“The best thing about working with Qantas is the experience of working in a large company and the opportunities that have become available, such as possible employment at the end of my traineeship,” Tom said.

“Everyone is really friendly and nice there – it’s a great work environment.”

Tom is halfway through his two year traineeship which was made possible through Qantas’ partnership with the Clontarf Foundation, a school-based program aimed at improving the education, life-skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal men across Australia.

We’ve been working with Clontarf since 2011 as their official airline, flying their students around the country to attend sports camps, and also providing employment opportunities through our Qantas Indigenous School Based Traineeship.

Once he finishes his HSC this year, Tom hopes to gain a permanent position with Qantas, perhaps as an apprentice aircraft engineer. And we hope he does too.

“I’ve really learned how to work as part of a team in a professional environment, how to perform tasks and how to be well organised and work to deadlines while meeting specific standards,” Tom said.

See more about the work of the Clontarf Foundation in the video below or read more about our recent announcement extending our partnership here.

Read more Roo Tales