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Young Workers Centre YWC
Union Summer/Winter

Union Winter 2026 will run Monday 20th July - Friday 31st July. 

Union Winter is a paid internship program run by the union movement. It is delivered in partnership by Victorian Trades Hall Council, the Young Workers Centre, and participating affiliated unions. The internship invites young people to gain hands on skills, learn about organising, bargaining, the role of unions and advocacy while working on a real campaign that fights for young workers’ rights.

Applications for Union Winter 2026 are now open: Apply Now.

  • Visit a work site
  • Learn how to have an organising conversation
  • Attend a hearing at Fair Work
  • Meet with an employer
  • Participate in a campaign event
  • Meet delegates and rank & file members
  • Be given an overview of union’s organisational and structure, including its rules
  • Participants also spend several days with the rest of their Union Summer cohort and the Young Workers team at Trades Hall hearing from guest speakers of the union movement and creating a campaign action.

The program is aimed at young workers aged 30 and under. There are no other specific pre-requisites, however an interest in social justice and workplace issues is highly regarded. If you are a union member we strongly recommend you mention this in your application.

Applications for Union Winter 2026 are now open - Apply Now.

  • "This program has made me feel much more empowered to try to tackle disenfranchisement in my workplaces. I feel a lot more optimistic about organising in the workplace now that I have seen how effective that it can be."
  • "Never stop organising! This program has reignited my fire to build a union workplace wherever I work."
  • "I learnt so much around occupation health and safety, gendered violence and Industrial Relations frameworks that I had no idea about!"
  • "I've learnt a lot about EBAs, the Fair Work Act and various union-related knowledge that I had zero clue prior to this. The skills around organising conversations and campaign strategy will be useful in my volunteer position with effective altruism groups."

Leon: Leon completed Union Summer in 2017, This is what he shared with us about Union Summer:

“My first introduction to the union movement was being an advocate at Young Workers Centre during my law degree. I loved the culture and the work so much that I wanted to stay involved!

Sitting in on EBA negotiations was great, but my favourite part was going on site visits with organisers. Before Union Summer I had no understanding of what organisers did on a day-to-day basis. It was really enlightening and inspiring."

Leon is a Senior Lawyer at the Portable Long Service Authority, administering Victoria's portable long service benefits scheme. Before moving to government, he was a solicitor here at the Young Workers Centre for four years and is a current member of our board