Skills for our communites future
About the Winyama internship program
In 2021, Winyama implemented an internship program to further the opportunities available to young Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people in Perth and surrounds. As a First Nations owned and operated organisation, Winyama seeks to enter into arrangements that are mutually beneficial. With a desire to provide accessible education and equal opportunity within the tech sector, we implemented an internship program that could achieve both.
Since its inception, the program has on boarded three interns and is training them in a number of different streams. The diversity and flexibility of the program allows for interns to upskill and become proficient in interest-specific disciplines.
Hear from Holly Moore about her experience as a GIS Analyst Intern
Holly was born and raised in Broome and belongs to Jabirr Jabirr and Yawuru tribes. Earlier this year she moved to Perth and after becoming a Mum, was keen to get back to work and try something different. When she began to look for a role, the Winyama internship opportunity arose and some of the criteria described crossed over with Holly’s previous experience. Having worked with the Kimberley Land Council (KLC) for a few years, she had prior experience in Native Title, administration and legal administrative work; however geospatial was a completely new endeavour.
Since starting at Winyama as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst, Holly has undertaken training in a range of technologies, namely ArcGIS Pro, TerraExplorer Skyline and some Amazon Web Services (AWS) modules. Her background working for KLC means that she understands the technical jargon used in the industry (it’s also nice to see some familiar names and faces from the Ranger groups up North). So, the two areas of her learning and professional life complement each other at Winyama.
With this knowledge and her new skills, Holly works alongside the other interns Grady and Khia to assist the senior team with project work.
A convergence of future ambitions
During her internship interview with our Managing Director, Andrew Dowding, Holly fondly recalled the discussion they had about her skill development and future vision. As Holly’s family is closely connected to Country and one another, Holly shared her ambitions to return home one day with new skills that could help her community.
“Andrew mentioned that the mission was to upskill people so they could take skills back to their community which very much aligned with what I wanted, because I will return home to Broome one day... It is very empowering to know I am a part of a team that will support my interests and develop my skills,” she said.
When she does return home, Holly would like to work for an Indigenous-owned organisation, either helping them learn about GIS or working in the Native Title space.
What advice does Holly give to aspiring Winyama internship candidates?
“Don’t be afraid of learning a new skill that you know nothing about. Being in the digital space has opened doors to opportunities that I never even knew existed. There are so many directions you can go within this field of work and being a part of Winyama has given me the opportunity to choose my own path and decide which direction I would like to take my career.”