Training pact pays off
A HOST of young people who have faced employment barriers are taking positive steps to their futures after completing a training program at Barwon Water in partnership with Gforce Employment Solutions.
The collaborative program highlights the power of a partnership between training organisations and businesses to ensure trainee graduates are job-ready.
The 13 trainees, which included eight Aboriginal people, were recognised on Friday at a graduation ceremony involving Training and Skills Minister Gayle Tierney.
Five of the trainees will continue to work at Barwon Water, with most of the rest moving on to further studies or taking other opportunities.
In the past three years, 26 people have graduated from the program with a further intake of 13 trainees set to start this year’s program.
The Apprenticeship Employment Network, the peak industry body representing not-for-profit group training companies in Victoria, hailed the training model as a win for all parties.
AEN chief executive Gary Workman said close consultation with business to properly develop specialised training programs to get people job-ready, and then into work, helped to ensure the apprenticeship and traineeship system was delivering the best outcomes to both learners and employers.
“The Gforce and Barwon Water partnership is a perfect example of how this model can work to the best advantage of all parties,” he said.
“Young people get brilliant onthe-job training, businesses get enthusiastic workers who are keen to learn and develop their skills, and they can rest assured that the paperwork and administration is covered by the organisation that places the trainees with them.”
In the first year, five trainees joined the program and all successfully completed their traineeship with four out of the five being offered ongoing work.
Gforce CEO Rob Birch said the organisation was proud to help facilitate successful youth employment outcomes particularly when focusing on inclusion and diversity as the result brought positive social outcomes for individuals and the community.
Barwon Water chair Jo Plummer said it was through partnerships with organisations such as Gforce, WanYaari and Northern Futures that Barwon Water was able to tackle social and economic disadvantage by providing further opportunities for trainees including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander decent.