Getting the green light on transport careers
GREEN Light Day is building a reputation as the careers day to attend if you’re a school student looking for an insight into working in the field of transport and logistics.
Each year Fletcher International is a venue for kids from across the area to see how agricultural produce comes in off farms and saleyards, is processed and value-added, and then shipped out to markets across the world.
This year was no exception. Fletcher’s human resources manager Maddy Herbert said the day was jam-packed with participants and engaging activities.
“Students from Cobar, Dubbo, Narromine, Trangie, Dunedoo and Condobolin made the trip out to Fletchers for GLD19, which kicked off with a round robin of events,” Ms Herbert told Dubbo Photo News.
“Activities included a guided bus tour of the grain facility, an interactive session on our weighbridge with a firsthand look at our container loaders packing the FIE train, a walk through our new cotton storage sheds, a Q&A session on employment in the industry, and presentations by RMS, TAFE NSW and Roger Fletcher himself.”
Roger Fletcher treated the group to some valuable insights into the industry and answered many questions about how he got started, recounting his first foray into the transport and logistics industry using the cheapest mode of transport available – walking.
“As you can imagine there were quite a few stumped faces,” Ms Herbert said, with droving days something out of the history books for the vast majority of Australians today.
“Overall, the day was a huge success, a real credit to all involved and the kids were bright, attentive and inquisitive, presenters were keen and informative, and our entire grain team seized the opportunity to showcase their workplace and skillsets to the new up-and-comers, all helping us to make our second Green Light Day even bigger and better than last,” she said.
The state’s transport and logistics sector employs more than half a million people and offers an incredible array of employment opportunities.
With freight volumes expected to double during the next 20 years, the demand for skilled transport and logistics employees will continue to increase, offering many secure and challenging jobs in the regions.
The top five transport and logistics occupations in demand right now are truck drivers, bus and coach drivers, contract, program and project administrators, automobile drivers and purchasing and supply logistics clerks.
TAFE NSW Supply Chain and ecommerce Skills Point Product Development Coordinator, Thomas Tramby, said that TAFE NSW plays an important part in equipping people with the skills and training needed to respond to the demand for employees.
“Technology is driving greater accuracy in tracking, warehouse technologies and distribution systems which means that employees are required to operate increasingly complex systems that will require formal qualifications,” Mr Tramby said.