Early careers

Apprenticeships

Available at our Port of Esperance, an apprenticeship at Southern Ports provides motivated individuals with career paths as boilermakers, mechanical fitters or electricians.

Our highly experienced team will assist apprentices in gaining a trade qualification and vital hands-on experience through extensive training and mentoring.

Applicants must meet eligibility requirements to qualify for an undertake a Southern Ports apprenticeship.

Traineeships

Available across all of our ports, a traineeship with Southern Ports offers paid, on-the-job training while working towards Certificate II, III or IV in a relevant field.

Traineeships take place over two years and provide a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand experience while exploring future career pathways.

Applicants must have completed Year 12 to apply for a traineeship.

Scholarship

Southern Ports partners with Curtin University to offer Steve Lewis Regional Scholarships to support students making the move from the South West, Great Southern and Goldfields-Esperance for tertiary studies.

Find out more

Emma Sticken

Business Administration Trainee

Emma Sticken started her two-year traineeship with Southern Ports in February 2024 based at the Port of Esperance and has been relishing the opportunities its so far provided.

She describes her work environment as supportive, very friendly and engaging.

“I also love that I’m able to take part in personal and professional development opportunities in such a short time of being here, and I can imagine there will be many more.”

Day-to-day her role involves general administration duties such as answering phones, booking meetings, taking minutes and processing orders, but she has also taken part in emotional intelligence and first aid courses, and in an executive assistant conference in Perth.

Kaden Brown

Apprentice Electrician

Kaden Brown started his four-year apprenticeship with Southern Ports in 2021.

Working as part of our Port of Esperance maintenance team, Kaden's apprenticeship is setting him up with a solid foundation for a long career.

“It's a hands-on role where I'm working with lots of different tradies showing me different ways of getting the job done.

Because I've learnt to approach jobs in different ways, I'm able to troubleshoot issues quickly and get the job done efficiently.”

Splitting his time between working at the Port and TAFE classes, Kaden's dynamic work environment means he is constantly tackling new challenges.

Do you have what it takes?

We accept applications from motivated and enthusiastic individuals with a proven interest in their chosen trade. Applicants must have a strong commitment to safety and be proactive in Southern Ports health, safety and environmental initiatives.