Cassandra, Amber and Taya pave the way for Aboriginal young people across WA

Cassandra Dempsey, Taya Woods and Amber Hsi all started with WA Country Health Service through the WA Health Aboriginal Cadetship Program.

The program offers Aboriginal university students the opportunity to gain paid work experience in health, while studying an undergraduate degree.

It gives cadets the opportunity to develop skills and establish personal and professional support networks while discovering what a career at WA Country Health Service can offer.

Cassandra Dempsey 

Ms Dempsey started her cadetship in February 2022, working as part of the WA Country Health Service Aboriginal Workforce team, before moving to administration and project support in Human Resources.

For Ms Dempsey, the best part of her role is going out and experiencing on-the-ground work.

“I have been involved in placements and have been able to work in hospitals as well as regional population health offices,” Ms Dempsey said.

She believes in and advocates for having strong Aboriginal voices in the workplace with representation for community members.

“We need young people that are actively advocating for the health of our communities – now and into the future,” she said. 

Amber Hsi

Ms Hsi started her 12-month cadetship in February 2023 before moving into her role as Performance Monitoring and Reporting Officer within Aboriginal Health Strategy.

What Ms Hsi enjoys most about her role is being able to work alongside other Aboriginal staff.

“I spent a significant amount of time with the team from Aboriginal Health Strategy during my cadetship,” Ms Hsi said.

“They have offered me so much support, and it’s great to learn from them.”

Wanting to share her positive experiences, Ms Hsi also has some words of advice for Aboriginal young people thinking of applying for the Aboriginal Cadetship Program.

“Do it,” she said.

“The cadetship is a great first step into the industry with the opportunity to gain skills that will prepare you for the workplace.”

Taya Woods

Ms Woods joined us in 2022, first with Aboriginal Health Strategy before joining the Aboriginal Workforce team as an Organisational Development Officer.

With a passion for helping her community, Ms Woods said it’s important to invest in Aboriginal young leaders.

“Programs like the Aboriginal Cadetship Program are about developing future leaders in the health sector,” Ms Woods said.

She is grateful for the knowledge and skills she has developed at WA Country Health Service.

“I love learning,” she said.