National Skills Week 2026: Daracon Group Career Starter Creates Pathways For Hunter Students

This National Skills Week (24 – 30 August) Daracon Group are proudly celebrating five Hunter students who have secured Apprenticeships after participating in the company's Career Starter Program, demonstrating the value of industry-led initiatives in creating employment pathways for young people.

Developed in partnership with the Hunter Academy of STEM Excellence, the program gives Year 10, 11 and 12 students hands-on exposure to careers in civil construction through site visits, industry engagement and structured work experience opportunities.

The Apprenticeships offered following the 2025 program, represent the strongest outcome achieved since the initiative launched in 2023, with participants transitioning directly from school into careers across Daracon's civil, landscaping and plumbing teams.

The Apprentices also became the inaugural participants in Daracon's pilot Role Ready Program, delivered by the Group's Training team in early 2026. The nationally accredited initiative equipped the new starters with essential industry skills and practical knowledge to support their transition into the workforce.

For Apprentice Brock Laidlaw, participating in Career Starter provided invaluable insight into the opportunities available within the construction industry.

"Career Starter gave me a great idea of what a career at Daracon could look like and confirmed it was something I wanted to pursue," said Brock.

Hunter Property Divisional Manager Mark Craven said the program was helping address an important challenge facing the industry by introducing young people to the wide range of careers available in civil construction.

"One of the biggest challenges facing our industry is helping young people understand the opportunities that exist beyond the traditional career pathways," Mark said.

“Career Starter gives students the chance to experience the work first-hand, learn from experienced teams and gain a genuine understanding of what a career in civil construction can offer.”

“The most rewarding outcome is seeing students’ progress into employment. In 2025, we were proud to offer Apprenticeships to five participants, providing them with the opportunity to begin meaningful careers within our business.”

Building on that success, Daracon has now launched the 2026 Career Starter Program, welcoming more than 25 students from Rutherford Technology High School and Maitland Grossmann High School to an excursion day hosted at a key project site in the Hunter Region.

The excursion day is the first phase of the Career Starter program, which gives students exposure to a real worksite, along with an opportunity to talk to people across the business about their roles and learn about the diverse career pathways available in the civil construction industry.

In a full-circle moment, several Apprentices who secured employment through the 2025 program returned to share their experiences with this year's participants at the excursion day, offering a first-hand perspective on the transition from school to employment.

Eight students who took part in the excursion day will now undertake two weeks of work experience across various Daracon worksites, where they will gain practical experience and exposure to a range of disciplines within the business; in hopes that those who enjoy the experience will consider a career in construction as Daracon makes its shortlist for Apprentices in 2027

As the 2026 program progresses, Daracon hopes to continue building a pipeline of skilled local workers while providing young people with meaningful opportunities to explore careers in one of Australia's largest industries.

National Skills Week is Australia’s week-long annual event championing vocational education and training. Promoting job opportunities, diverse career pathways and life-changing stories that are at the heart of Australia’s future workforce.