We champion workforce development through Conservation and Ecosystem Management (CAEM) paid traineeships which support jobseekers in building environmental restoration careers. These programs also assist landholders, government agencies and local charities in addressing ecological challenges while fostering participant well-being and inclusivity.

Our CAEM programs, which have been run in partnership with the Queensland Government since 2015, under initiatives such as Skilling Queenslanders for Work, offer participants the opportunity to learn first hand the on-ground skills required to deliver conservation and ecosystem management projects, through tasks such as nursery work, plantings, flora identification workshops, manual and chemical weed management and revegetation maintenance.

Not only are participants exposed to working in the natural environment (often for the first time), but they also complete the theory work required to gain a VET Certificate I or III qualification plus receive accreditations for Agricultural Chemicals Distribution Control (ACDC), a Construction White Card and Chainsaw Levels.

The program is an excellent pathway to the conservation industry, assisting participants to build the connections and skills to pursue career outcomes such as:

• Bush regenerator
• Landscaping
• Horticulture
• Landcare
• Land management
• Agriculture
• Tree planting
• Park Ranger (entry level)

Traineeships are generally full time over 6 months (Certificate I) or 12 months (Certificate III). Our trainee supervisors are highly qualified and passionate team members, who are driven to educate and inspire. We offer high levels of support for all our trainees including a number of wrap around services.

During their time with us, a trainee will get to enjoy a range of conservation experiences such as:

• Carrying out land restoration in the field and working with different vegetation types around the region
• Learning from the local council, Qld Parks & Wildlife rangers, botanists, ecologists, land care workers and more industry professionals
• Field trips to ecological centres & reserves plus plant identification bushwalks
• Learning horticulture/nursery work in conjunction with local community nurseries
• Assisting our community engagement team with water testing, macroinvertebrate surveys and school visits
• Resume drafting and job seeking guidance, mentoring opportunities, industry work placements and personal development.

Our traineeships are proudly funded by the Queensland Government through its Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative and are also supported by our South Maroochy Rivercare program, in partnership with Seqwater.

Our community frog monitoring program has been running for over a decade and has contributed data to local, state and national databases.

We monitor a range of sites each year to assess the habitat of a diverse range of frog species. From Giant Barred Frog populations in the hinterland to Wallum Froglets on the Coast, you can help us collect and contribute valuable data on native frog species diversity and abundance.

You don’t need to be a frog expert, but you will be a seasoned frog spotter and citizen scientist after a few sessions! Our frog monitoring evenings are also a great way to get the family outside, to take some unique photos of wildlife after dark and to learn more about local flora and fauna.

These very popular free monitoring sessions are held throughout the Summer season (January – March), so get in fast by registering your interest below.

Our Community Engagement & Education Officer, Trevor Morrison, was unimpressed by the human impact on waterway health at Petrie Creek, Nambour during a recent site visit.

Running on dates that coincide with platypus breeding season (August) and the post-breeding burrow emergence period (March) each year, platypus monitoring is our community-based citizen science program that engages local volunteers to help collect platypus data by recording sightings and assessing platypus habitats at three different creeks on the Sunshine Coast.

Platypus are highly sensitive to water quality and a keystone indicator of a healthy ecosystem.  A majority of ECOllaboration’s work involves catchment restoration via the revegetation of riparian (river and creekside) areas and therefore, it is of great interest to monitor platypus as they indicate the success of our ecological restoration efforts.

This citizen science project has been designed to engage the community and collect a long-term data set on these remarkable creatures to ensure they are afforded an accurate conservation status in Queensland.