Shoalhaven City Council in conjunction with Shoalhaven Group Training is looking for 10 people who are interested in becoming Water and Wastewater Operations Trainees with Council in 2009.
Council is a major employer in the city and is endeavoring to host and employ a large group of trainees to help provide employment for youth in the city and to build the talent pool from which groups such as Shoalhaven Water can draw trained staff.
Shoalhaven City Mayor Councillor Paul Green said it is vitally important that Council recognises the opportunities it can provide to young people in the city.
“With the global economy slowing quickly, it is important that Council remains a provider of sound employment to the youth in the city,” Clr Green said. “With this in mind Council adopted a resolution in August 2007 to ensure that at least five per cent of its workforce are trainees, apprentices or cadets.
“Council takes its role as a leading employer in the region very seriously and this partnership with Shoalhaven Group Training will go some way towards providing training and employment for a group in society that may find it difficult to find work in the area. It will also lead to helping the city’s economic growth by providing employment opportunities to keep the youth in the city and halting the need for many youth to seek opportunities elsewhere.”
Shoalhaven Group Training spokesperson Kay Tiyce shares Mayor Green’s views in relation to the importance of recognising, creating and presenting opportunities for the youth of the city to secure both future career growth and promote regional skills development.
“Shoalhaven Group Training is pleased to be partnering with Council to offer this exciting career building opportunity to local people,” Kay said. “These 10 trainee positions will assist in ensuring that talented local young persons will be given the opportunity to remain in the local community and build a solid skills base and gain nationally recognised qualifications with which to build their future careers upon.”
Shoalhaven Water has begun work with Shoalhaven Group Training to begin the Traineeship Program.
Shoalhaven Water Director Carmel Krogh said this program presents an opportunity to expand and build upon the trainee concept envisioned by Council, reduce casual labour hire costs and provide employment opportunities which would be of benefit to Shoalhaven Water, Council, and the local community.
“We envisage that after the initial training period, the Trainees would be experienced in Shoalhaven Water operations and would be in a good position to fill vacant positions,” Carmel said. “This will result in significant savings in recruitment and selection costs.”
The program has been developed for Shoalhaven Water in partnership with Shoalhaven Group Training. Shoalhaven Group Training is the only Group Training company in the Shoalhaven area.
Shoalhaven Group Training will complete the advertising and recruitment of Trainees, preparation of documents that are signed by the trainee with the Australian Apprenticeship Centre (AAC), enroll the Trainees in the Certificate II Water Operations Industry Course with a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), and provide ongoing monitoring and mentoring during the period of the Traineeship.
Shoalhaven Group Training and Council are seeking people from the city who are interested in being hosted by Shoalhaven Water as Trainees in this innovative program. The trainees will be provided training and experience which aims to provide knowledge and skills to prepare a person to perform in a range of diverse activities within the various operational aspects of the Water industry. Emphasis will be placed on providing on and off the job training in the monitoring, testing, maintenance and control of water and sewerage assets.
People interested in the program should contact Julie Ludlow at Shoalhaven Group Training on (02) 4422 7611 or 0419 429 618.
Background
Council set a target in August 2007 for all Groups in Council to attain a Trainee / Apprentice / Cadet ratio of at least five per cent of staff numbers.
Shoalhaven Group Training, located in Nowra and a division of the not-for-profit Hunter Valley Training Company, employs local people within the community into Apprenticeships and Traineeships.
By partnering with quality local host businesses, Shoalhaven Group Training continues to strive towards excellence in training, education and employment for all locals.
Consistently reaching these targets enables the apprentices and trainees to acquire a solid foundation for which to build their future career paths upon, as well as guaranteeing regional growth and skills development for the greater good of the community.