Lessons in heavy driving
THE new Geelong arm of a longstanding Melbourne business is helping bring renewed stability to providing training to drive heavy vehicles.
The Advanced Heavy Vehicle Training Centre has set up in North Geelong after becoming accredited by VicRoads to conduct heavy vehicle training and testing.
The move comes after a period of upheaval that included the liquidation of Geelong training centre Journey Management Group about a year ago.
Advanced Heavy Vehicle Training Centre director and chief executive Mark Hobden, who lives in Ocean Grove, said the opportunity to fill the hole in the Geelong market completed a long-held personal ambition.
“I’ve been trying for years to break into Geelong,” Mr Hobden said.
He said his business, which started with his first skills training centre in Tullamarine in 1999, would add competition and stability to a training sector that had been dominated by government-funded service providers.
“We don’t get funding, we are feefor-service,” Mr Hobden said. “And we are still here.”
Opened in April, the Advanced Heavy Vehicle Driver Training Centre is accredited to provide heavy vehicle training from light rigid to multi combination in Geelong and the region.
The North Geelong centre is also providing high-risk work training in forklift, order picker and elevated work platform (over 11m) and scissor lift yellow card (under 11m) in addition to the heavy vehicles.
Mr Hobden said he had invested about $100,000 in fitting out the centre, not including vehicles, and employed five trainers.
For more information, go to advancedheavyvehicles.com.au