Paving his way back to the Pilbara

Growing up in Karratha, Josh Fitzroy is no stranger to the beauty, climate and rich history of the Pilbara, after leaving the red dirt for a sea change, he soon returned to pave his career in the resources industry. Josh is currently on the Monadelphous Indigenous Pathways Program within the Heavy Lift business, working his way up to be a crane operator after having started his career with Monadelphous as a trades assistant (TA).

Josh started the program in August 2022 and is on track to successfully complete his upskilling commitments in 2024.

“I started working with Monadelphous back in August 2018, I was a TA on the shutdown circuit in Port Hedland and on various Engineering Construction (EC) projects,” said Josh.

“I received a call from someone in the Recruitment team who asked if I would be interested in joining the Indigenous Pathways Program, and my interest was piqued.”

After attending an information session at the Monadelphous Bibra Lake Employee Development Centre, which gave him an overview of the program, Josh was given an opportunity to meet with supervisors who gave him an overview of the project scopes that he could possibly be working on.

“Because I was already working for Monos, I had some good background knowledge of the business and types of projects, and I was really keen to be part of the program.

“When I joined the program in late 2022, I first received my dogging and basic rigging ticket, then mobilised to site and began the formal traineeship. As part of this, I have received my HR license and intermediate rigging ticket. From here, I will keep progressing until I get my High-Risk crane license.

“The Pathways program has given me a lot of new skills so I can fit into better positions and have opportunities to progress. I’m no longer just doing the baseline things, but constantly learning and upskilling. It’s been a really good opportunity that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

“Once I have finished the traineeship, I will be able to get more experience with cranes and continue to work my way up.

“Being part of the program has been a huge learning curve for me and I have really been able to sharpen my skills. Once I finish the traineeship, I will hopefully be able to move into leadership roles – something I am super excited about.”

The program offers support, with regular check-ins from coordinators.

“I also started the program with four other trainees, so it was good to start the journey with other people,” finished Josh.