The State’s premier trade training organisation, Hunter Valley Training Company is signalling a new era of expansion in the Upper Hunter Valley.
Its former branch office in Muswellbrook has changed its name and status to Upper Hunter Group Training and is the company’s 12th group training office and the first to be opened since one in Queensland almost two years ago.
The Company Chairman, Hon Milton Morris AO said it was fitting that the town where HVTC first began in 1981 now had its own identity and was not just a branch of the Maitland-based, not-for-profit organisation.
“HVTC’s expansion throughout the State and in Queensland was attributable to its recruitment of quality Apprentices and Trainees, which contributed to an 85 per cent completion rate,” Mr Morris said.
Upper Hunter Group Training (UHGT) has two employees under the management of Mr Graham Grant. Mr Grant said there were 50 Apprentices and Trainees employed through the Upper Hunter office which has operated for the past two years. In past weeks, there had been interviews of more than 80 applicants for about 20 Apprenticeships and Traineeships mainly in the Upper Hunter power and mining industries.
The 20 Upper Hunter Host Employers for the company’s Apprentices and Trainees range from small trades businesses to multi-national companies to local government, and the new recruits will start early in 2011.
“Upper Hunter employers seem to have heard the message that they must train for the skills needed in the future and for expansion, rather than the costly alternative of having to out-bid rival companies for those skills or time consuming and costly recruitment from overseas,” Mr Grant said.
The Upper Hunter was in an expansion phase, with mining companies increasing their output.
“We have had two enquiries this week to supply warehouse and distribution Trainees in this area.
“We have also begun to discuss with our existing clients what their Traineeship and Apprenticeship needs are for next year,” Mr Grant said.
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