On Tuesday 11 July our MBS team welcomed people into their Derrimut sites for our Open Day. This was a chance for people interested in our SBAT and SLES programs to have a look at our facilities, talk to our team and find out what’s involved firsthand from the participants themselves.

Our SLES participants were heavily involved in preparing for the event, running the BBQ and taking tours on the day. Keep reading to see what Caroline and Shakaya had to say about the day.

On 10 July, we cleaned the whole barbeque to prepare for the sausage sizzle. We set up all the plates and drinks the morning of the Open Day. We also had to cut loads of onions and learnt how to use the knife safely so we didn’t injure ourselves.

Doing food prep for the sausage sizzle!

During the Open Day which was on the following day, I served the students who wanted a sausage sandwich, either with or without onions and also offered them a can of drink. Whilst preparing the barbecue for the sausage sizzle and lunch, a couple of SLES students had to take tours through D2 and the warehouses, they also gave presentations about their experiences in SLES.

We saw that there were a lot of parents and students from different schools and suburbs, all excited to learn about SBAT, SLES and what it is like working in the warehouse.

Students, teachers and carers arrive for Open Day

During the Open Day, we showed different groups the warehouse in Derrimut 3. While we were there, Brad the MBS Manager showed up and told us about the different jobs and how to do them. It was fun learning about the different jobs as some of them I haven’t done before or didn’t know what they were. We were able to talk about how SLES and SBAT work, it was a fun way to improve and build on our communication and public speaking skills.

Brad, MBS Manager and SLES participants lead a tour of the warehouse

At the end of the day, team members Brittany, Ash, Nat and Suzie told us we did an amazing job. Once it was clean up time, we were in the lunchroom putting the cans into the fridge and doing the dishes. Since there was a lot of leftovers, we walked to Derrimut 1 and 3 and gave some to the other members of the Mambourin community so they could have some for lunch.

I had fun participating in the Open Day, it was a good experience and a fun way to be a part of the workplace community. I would recommend for the SLES team to do more events like this in the future.

Missed the open day? Don’t worry!

Our SBATs page has FAQS and fact sheets about the courses we currently offer.

Or if you’re a school leaver looking for employment support, check out our frequently asked questions about how SLES works and how it might be helpful to you.