Apprentice in Warehousing

A Gesture

Expirence

I was one of several applicants in 2013 to apply for a position to do work experience that would lead onto a paid 1 year contact doing a Certificate III in warehousing operation.

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The group i was apart of from Uniting care Wesley Paralowie was comprised of Myself, Chris, Brodie and a few other people who's names i don't remember. We started out as 7 and only Myself and Chris got in.
They wanted responsible individual's in this dangerous work environment, and thought the period i was there plenty of people broke rules to have some fun due to the lack of work at times, and sometimes because of how disgusting it was to sort the smelly items.

I was in charge of sorting fruits and vegetables, checking bread for mold, and disposing of said items through a weight in weight out system. This system required someone to record the scaled weight, record and sign off.

I had to clean Jeffry's bins with a pressure washer and a coarse bristle broom.

Due to how i felt, i requested to be able to come in for extra days but refused on the condition everyone's only allowed to have one day a week maximum on the site.

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Near the end i was asking about positions in other work spaces and was told they already helped me by helping me earn a certificate in warehousing operations.

I was extremely disappointed to say the least. Not only with the lies spouted about helping us get jobs, but by suggesting they gave me a Certificate III in warehouse when clearly i earned it through intense work as a volunteer/apprentice/student.

They were not only incompetent when physical violence became an issue within the work-space, but also respect for the hard working employees.

I put my heart and soul into my work, only to get told it was not good enough.

Me cleaning the requested bin not good enough, me sorting rotten fruits and vegetables not good enough, me mopping the floor not good enough. No matter what I did... I was treated insignificantly!

I still done my work, I was still a successful candidate and not shown enough respect or praise for my efforts.

I was the only apprentice to be able handle a Pallet jack lifter in a fast efficient manor to which i performed well enough i only have 2 incidences where i hit a door frame from an overloaded pallet.

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I believe some people would disagree with me with the experience, and what A Gesture had to offer, but my eye got opened up, i had been whacked

in the face with a can of soda and laughed and insulted by everyone else all because a guy i knew nothing about kept stabbing me in the back with a pen while preparing for an assessment.

I had very few people I felt I could trust, and a lot of people I had concerns working with due to threats of violence which the supervisors took as a joke.

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It's one experience i'd like to not have to relive, but in the case that i'd have to do it all over again i would certainly stick with the paperwork at the weight in weight out table.