The Board of the Hunter Valley Training Company will meet in Maitland at a time when figures point to future skills shortages for regional industry.
Apprenticeship starts in December and January were up slightly on the previous year, statistics provided by NSW State Training show.
But starts in the key manufacturing trades were still down – fitters and boilermakers were in decline; fitters down almost 40 per cent (128) and boilermakers down 16 per cent (73).
These trades are always in high demand by Hunter Region industry.
They are key to sustaining the region’s and the State’s manufacturing industries and numbers can ill-afford to fall too far.
More than 18,000 apprentices and trainees have been employed by HVTC since it began in 1981 and it is one of the State’s leading trainers of key industrial trades skills.
The HVTC Board normally meets in Sydney but has come to Maitland for only the second time for a strategic planning session for future development and on the eve of a year of activities and events to mark the Company’s 30th year of training apprentices for regional and national industry.
It will meet at the Monte Pio Motel, New England Highway, Rutherford, at 2:15pm.
It will precede a Board of Directors meeting at 2:15pm and a strategic planning day on Friday, April 30, which will plot future directions for the company and consider matters to mark its 30th year, which begins in June.
At 2:00pm, a Media Conference is planned.
At it will be the Chairman, the Hon Milton Morris AO; the Executive Director, Mrs Kay Sharp AO, who is Director of the Innovation and Growth Committee; Director and the Chairman of the Company’s Audit and Risk Committee and Chairman of Eraring Energy, Mr Ross Bunyon; and Former Industrial Relations Advisor and a Director and Chairman of the Company’s Human Resources and Industrial Relations Committee, and Mr Mick Sheils. |