Indigenous Apprentice Program

It is now 15 years since the PPTEU began a partnership with Western Australian, Northern Territory and Victorian Aboriginal communities. 

The Program began with young men and women from remote Kimberley communities working in Melbourne, and placed with plumbing contractors to complete their  4 year apprenticeship in "Certificate 111 Plumbing".

This culminated in the formation of NUDJ Plumbing Services P/L in 2009 and is the amalgamation of the Nirrumbuk Aboriginal Corporation, the Victorian Plumbers Union, Cooke & Dowsett Pty Ltd and the Jarlmadangah Burru Aboriginal Corporation with a combined purpose of providing employment and training opportunities for Indigenous Australians. 

NUDJ Plumbing Services P/L is dedicated to enriching the lives of Aboriginal people in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions through plumbing apprenticeship programs with the Victorian Plumbers Union, employment with NUDJ and the provision of labour hire through Cooke & Dowsett. Having learnt plumbing services skills, including improved sanitation and water management, qualified plumbers can then return to transfer this knowledge and enrich their communities.

This partnership came together with the joint aims of improving sanitation standards within Indigenous communities and increasing the job and training prospects of young Indigenous men and women.

Since the inception of the PPTEU Indigenous Apprentice Program, more than 80 indigenous plumbing apprentices have successfully completed their apprenticeship.

We are now in the very proud position of seeing this project come full circle, with fully qualified male and female indigenous plumbers working in metropolitan, regional and remote areas throughout Australia, helping to improve sanitation and living standards within their communities.

For further info regarding our program, please call (03) 9662 3388.

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