Subscribe to RSS feed
Komatsu’s award-winning training system
Komatsu Australia has recently established an innovative apprenticeship training system designed to give entrants to the industry not only key trade skills, but also life and personal responsibility skills and awareness.
In its first year, it has achieved measurable results – with apprentices already six months ahead of their peers doing “traditional” apprenticeships, and set to have a one-year advantage at the completion of their training.
Komatsu Australia’s Apprentice Development System (ADS) for plant and heavy machinery apprentices – set up and piloted with Komatsu’s NSW Hunter Valley apprentices during 2009 – is now set to become a benchmark system for the company after taking runner-up spot in the Federal Education Minister’s 2009 Awards for Excellence program.
Gavin Manning, Komatsu Australia’s Newcastle service manager and Paul Richardson, Komatsu Australia’s HR – organisational development manager, accepted the award on behalf of Komatsu at a presentation ceremony in Canberra hosted by Julia Gillard, Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Komatsu’s ADS was the brainchild of Gavin Manning, Cristian Duma, Reg Rogers and Robert Uhl – all managers at the company’s Newcastle and Mt Thorley branches.
In addition to “traditional” on-the-job training and attendance at TAFE, the ADS aims to give apprentices important life skills, including Toastmasters (public speaking), road safety awareness, and drugs, alcohol and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) awareness.
An important feature of the new Apprentice Development System has been the establishment of an alliance with the Hunter Institute of TAFE’s Kurri Kurri Campus – the main centre for the Heavy Vehicle Mobile Equipment Certificate III program in the Hunter Valley.
“The involvement and assistance provided by TAFE has been invaluable in establishing the system as a model for apprentice training, and other employers are very interested in this partnering approach,” said HR manager Paul Richardson.
“I believe this approach, as well as our integrated ‘life skills’ system – designed to engage and support the apprentices at every level of their development – contributed to Komatsu receiving the Award from the deputy PM,” he said.
For more information visit: www.komatsu.com.au
