Before the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the RISE Ventures team managed to arrange for a
record number of job seekers in Kowanyama to obtain and renew their drivers’ licenses.
This was made possible through a lot of pre-planning and hard work from a great dedicated team.
We assisted in obtaining IDs and getting the necessary requirements in place before inviting the
Remote Indigenous Driver Licensing Unit (RIDLU) to conduct the tests.
The results? A whopping 21 job seekers did the learners written test and licensing, 9 practical driving
tests and licenses, 13 learners licenses renewed, 6 licenses replaced, and 3 heavy vehicle written
tests completed.
These licenses equip job seekers with more than just the authority to drive, but also provides them a
tool for possible future employment.
It was a pleasure to work with RIDLU who states that they might use Kowanyama as a benchmark for
communities of similar sizes. We would also like to thank the team that made it all possible; Francis,
Lavinia, Shiquea and of course our wonderful Community Engagement Officer and Bus Driver Carl,
picking our job seekers up and ensuring everything ran smoothly.
