Hot, dusty, dirty... but rewarding work
RICK SMITH is co-owner of Steel Supplies and, as a lifetime veteran in the industry, he knows that working in that field isn’t for everyone.
“It’s hot, dusty, dirty, we had a very hot week last week in the 45s, and the guys worked through that. We supply them with as much water and clothing that can cool them down, anything we can do to make it easier, but in the end, customers come in, they want to be served and that’s the conditions that we’ve got to work in,” Mr
Smith told Dubbo Photo News.
Finding employees in his industry is fairly hard, so Mr Smith decided to give the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) a go at finding a worker for the business, and Ryan Williams was recommended.
RICK SMITH is co-owner of Dubbo’s Steel Supplies and as a lifetime veteran in the industry he knows that working in that field isn’t for everyone.
“It’s a hard industry and anybody that thinks they’re going to work in it and get away with not working, it just won’t happen – the material’s heavy, it’s a busy business and we’re on the go all the time, so when you get your breaks you take them and you should enjoy them,” Mr Smith told Dubbo Photo News.
“It’s hot, dusty, dirty, we had a very hot week last week in the 45s, and the guys worked through that. We supply them with as much water and clothing that can cool them down, anything we can do to make it easier, but in the end, customers come in, they want to be served and that’s the conditions that we’ve got to work in.
“Finding people to work for us in this style of industry is fairly hard. We do our own advertising for jobs but we also go to the employment agencies and ask who they’ve got available and then we try and pick the best from that,” he said.
Twelve months ago Mr Smith decided to give the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES) a go at finding a worker for the business and Ryan Williams was recommended as a potential employee.
“Ryan’s name popped up,” Mr Smith recalled. “The Aboriginal Employment Strategy gave him a pretty good rap, we said ‘okay, bring him out, we’ll have an interview,’ and we sat down with him. The first thing that struck me about Ryan was his sense of humour and his attitude – and the fact that he said he’s willing to have a go.
“Based on that we gave him a three month trial.
“He worked out a lot better than we thought he would. He had no experience in steel, and now he’s a long-term member of our staff and a valued employee – and can I just say, he has a dig and that’s the main thing.”
Dubbo Photo News caught up with Ryan towards the back of the giant shed and it took a few minutes of banter between himself and his boss before we could get down to the interview.
In his early 30s, Ryan said he loves working there.
“I’d lived in Warren all my life and worked on a cotton farm driving pickers and working on irrigation... driving forklifts and driving trucks with cotton bales,” Mr Williams said.
“I moved to Dubbo and worked on a dairy for six months and then came here and I’ve been here since.”
He praised the AES for the way it operates and says the job they found for him fits him like a glove, even though it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
“It’s hot, it’s heavy, it’s dusty and tiring, but at the end of the day you know you’ve done something – you lose weight, that’s the best thing about it,” he said.
“It’s a good crew to work with. “Try and be happy at work, be a happy crew, don’t fight, don’t argue and that’s it, get along – simple,” Mr Williams said.
Rick Smith is impressed at how the AES doesn’t just send a potential worker’s name and then walks away.
“The AES come around every two months to see how Ryan’s going and make sure he’s going okay,” Mr Smith said.
“The AES isn’t like some agencies where they offer you money to employ someone, and we don’t require that, we just want someone who’s going to work. What AES does very well is back-up and make sure that they’re doing the right thing, and that if there’s any training that’s needed then they’ll organise to get that done at their cost which is very good.”
Mr Smith believes on-the-job training is the best way to train anybody, especially when new employees are starting from scratch.
“Ryan had no knowledge of steel at all so we have a buddy system where he buddies up with one of our experienced guys. They take him under their wing and teach him about how to measure, identify, pick the material out of the racking, use the overhead crane, use the forklift and then be able to work by himself eventually in packing and loading and serving customers,” Mr Smith said.
“The AES far exceeded what I thought we’d get and if we could get a few more like Ryan I’d be very happy.
“If anyone’s out there looking for a job who really wants to have a dig, don’t be afraid of dropping your name in, we’re looking for people at different times,” he said.
Meantime, Ryan Williams couldn’t be happier and it shows.
“It’s good, I’m paying my house off, I’ve got a house in Warren and I’ve got a house in Wongarbon so I’m going pretty well,” Mr Williams said.
“I bought my first house when I was 25 and I was happy and I wanted to do it again.”
He said he’d recommend any people from the local Indigenous community looking for work to try AES and comply with one fundamental rule.
“Just don’t take drugs, it’s simple.”