WHO WANTS A JOB?
A MANAGER at a major Geelong transport company is looking to fill 30 trucking cadetships to make inroads into the region’s dismal youth unemployment rate.
Wettenhalls’ national training manager Jay Beck said the company wants to give young people willing to learn an opportunity to start a career.
“We are giving young people a chance to come on board and start without any skills or knowledge in the industry. We will train them up from scratch,” Mr Beck said.
He said the company had faced difficulty filling positions at their Norlane depot.
“We’re having a real problem getting drivers across all our depots. Sometimes people think they don’t have the right skills for the job and look past the fact that we are happy to train them.
“We’re happy to upskill people if they show that they want to actually learn.”
Australian Industry Standards CEO Robert Adams said the transport and logistics industry had an ageing workforce, and retiring workers weren’t being replaced at an acceptable level.
“Training for the industry has changed over the years,” he said. “To become a truck driver years ago, it was as simple as applying for the heavy vehicle licence. Now there is extensive training required which addresses areas such as fatigue management and safety.”
In Geelong the youth unemployment rate in June was 12.8 per cent, an increase of 1.8 per cent compared to June 2018. The overall unemployment rate in Geelong sits at 6.9 per cent.
Flexible Training Solutions CEO Patricia Sincock, whose company will run an open day at Wettenhalls in Norlane today, said the logistics industry is growing due to rises in online shopping, overseas manufacturing and a pipeline of major infrastructure underway in Victoria.
“People think that this industry doesn’t pay well, is dirty and old. The truth is it’s a technologically advanced industry with automated and voicecontrolled picking, drones and automated vehicles,” Ms Sincock said. “Without new people in the industry, the nation will grind to a halt.”
Mr Beck said jobs were available in truck driving, administration and scheduling at Wettenhalls.
Flexible Training Solutions, which offers Certificates III and IV in transport and logistics, will hold the open day at Wettenhalls Transport in Norlane today between 10am to 3pm.