Euroa local, Megan Ellis has secured a career-launching role on Inland Rail, following her completion of the project’s Rail Readiness course.

Meghan attended the course at Euroa and outperformed 30 applicants to land a role with Inland Rail’s construction partner John Holland.

She was appointed to a full-time role as a Site Administration Officer for the Euroa and Benalla sites.

The Rail Readiness program is a three-day training course coordinated by the Inland Rail Skills Academy, offering participants an understanding of the requirements for a career in rail and construction.

The course is delivered in partnership with high-performance mentoring and training organisation Yakka Training and focuses on safety, mental fitness, psychosocial hazards, workplace readiness, and being fit for duty in the rail industry.

Ms Ellis said she wanted to work in the rail industry ‘for some years’ after meeting friends who have worked in all aspects of the industry.

“I’m Euroa born and raised and am now the site admin’ for Euroa and my role is a combination of accounts, data entry, assisting the engineers with their dockets, and helping the team wherever I can,” Ms Ellis said.

“The course was a great refresher on a lot of topics I already had knowledge on.

“The rail portion of the course was incredibly well delivered, and the trainer Joel was super helpful with any queries.

“I’d been following the project for a few years. It’s been exciting watching it all unfold from afar and now being a part of a great change to the community is amazing.”

After the three-day course Ms Ellis was given an opportunity to be interviewed by John Holland and Inland Rail and she said it was ‘amazing’ to meet and work with a diverse range of people and learn about engineering, rail, and construction.

“I’ve felt so welcome and included, they’ve really made to feel a part of the team,” she said.

“It’s also great to represent Euroa and be able to share my town with everyone.

“I hope to stay with John Holland after the project, would love to continue to upskill and grow my knowledge and work on future projects.”

Inland Rail Executive Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability Stephen Jones said Inland Rail was committed to open doorways and encouraged people to enter the rail industry.

“The industry provides a rewarding and ongoing career path, and we want to upskill people who share our values, regardless of their background,” Mr Jones said.

“After completing the courses, the three successful candidates were interviewed by John Holland, making it easier for local community members to move into jobs with our contractors.

“Inland Rail has provided considerable regional employment and business opportunities since the project commenced.”