Grow here

Start your career with purpose through PMHC’s Entry Pathways Program

Our Entry Pathways Program offers a meaningful way to kickstart your career through a traineeship, apprenticeship, or cadetship - combining hands-on experience, paid employment, and formal study.

Whether you're looking to learn a trade, grow your admin skills, or work outdoors in the natural beauty of our region, PMHC offers opportunities that make a real impact in the community.

As part of the Entry Pathways Program, you’ll benefit from:

Support from experienced mentors
A competitive salary and paid study leave
On-the-job training and access to additional upskilling
The chance to apply for internal roles as you grow your career
A strong focus on work-life balance
Ongoing support for both you and your team leader from the People, Safety and Performance team

These roles are typically advertised in September and October each year.

We're committed to creating a positive, inclusive workplace where you’re supported to learn, grow, and thrive. Join us and help shape the future of our region - while shaping your own.

Real stories from people who have grown here

Grace Kuhnell, Electrical Apprentice

For PMHC's first female trades apprentice, the best part of the job is not knowing what the day has in store.

As a third-year electrical apprentice, a typical workday for Grace can involve doing install work, maintenance or repairs in our water and sewer treatment plants, sports fields or the airport.

“One of the awesome things about this apprenticeship is that we get so much exposure to the pathways in industrial electrical and we get to work with our PLC team, comms team and our instrumentation team.

"And getting to work in those areas of electrical is super rare, especially for a regional apprenticeship.

My biggest takeaway from the programme is just the real-world skills that I've gained. So now I can go into any part of the electrical industry and have the skills that I need for employment.”

Grace is the 2026 recipient of the Sarah Lloyd Scholarship Fund which supports female apprentices across NSW pursuing careers in non-traditional trades. Grace is planning to use the grant to complete a Certificate III in Instrumentation, helping her continue to develop her skills and build her career in the electrical industry.

Cooper Henderson, Electrical Apprentice

Cooper’s PMHC journey began five years ago, as a water and sewer trainee. He spent the first couple of months rotating in different sections before finally landing the role of Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator at the Port Macquarie site.

He had been working there for four years when he realised that he was interested in the electrical side of things. This led him to applying for the electrical apprenticeship which he is currently on.

For Cooper, the best part of the job is the variety and volume of things that he gets to work on every day.

“You could be doing technical stuff like the telemetry and coding side of everything, or you could be doing the massive stuff with huge pumps and cables and moving big gear.

“You do all sorts of stuff here at Council and it's such a great place for you to just learn all the different types of things that you can do in one section.

This is incredibly important to keeping our town’s infrastructure running.”

Jesse Wisselo, Process Manager

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From apprentice to project lead, Jesse’s journey shows where a strong start can take you.

Jesse Wisselo’s career at PMHC spans more than a decade, and it all started with an electrical apprenticeship in 2013. While completing his Certificate III in Electrotechnology, Jesse went the extra mile and added a Certificate IV in Industrial Electronics and Control. From there, he steadily worked his way through a variety of roles across Water and Sewer Operations.

By 2018, Jesse had stepped up as a Team Leader, later coordinating our Headworks team and eventually managing more than 17 staff across bulk water and construction. All the while, he continued his studies - completing a Certificate III in Water Industry Operations and recently finishing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) in 2024.

Now a Process Manager based at HQ, Jesse combines deep operational knowledge with formal engineering expertise to lead infrastructure projects that support our growing region,

"Doing my apprenticeship at Council gave me real, hands-on experience, working on live infrastructure and seeing the direct impact our work had on the community. It laid the foundation for everything I’ve done since - from further study in civil engineering to managing capital projects today."

Jesse lives in Port Macquarie with his young family and is a great example of what’s possible through our Entry Pathways Program.

Danika Glover, Financial & Commercial Support Officer

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Trying different roles helped Danika find her place and build a career she’s proud of.

Danika joined PMHC in March 2024 as a trainee in Procurement, completing a Certificate III in Business while gaining hands-on experience in contract management. From supporting stakeholder engagement meetings to keeping supplier documentation in check, she played a key role in keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes.

After six months, Danika stepped into the Development Assessment team to cover a maternity leave position, before taking on an alternative duties opportunity as a Financial and Commercial Support Officer. It was a perfect fit - and soon became a permanent role.

Now, Danika’s role supports a wide mix of teams across the organisation. From assisting the Executive Lead Finance & Commercial Operations, to helping with procurement, finance, asset management, the Airport, the Lab, and the Glasshouse, no two days look the same, and that’s exactly what she enjoys.

“The Entry Pathways Program opened doors I didn’t expect. I’ve felt supported to grow and encouraged to try new things from the beginning.”

Danika’s story is a great example of how the Entry Pathways Program can help you explore different directions, build confidence, and find your place in Council life, even early in your career.

Entry Pathways Information Session (2027 Intake)

Our Entry Pathways info session will be held on Tuesday 15 September 2026 at The Glasshouse, Port Macquarie.

Major Events Grants are now open