INDUSTRY PARTICIPANTS BACK TRAINING PROGRAMS

THE STUDENT PERSPECTIVE: CERTIFICATE III
Business-wide impact Glenn Pluck from Western Screens shared his experience as a business owner, with a vision to employ apprentice workers in future. Glenn has joined this program in order to ensure he is training his new staff effectively and that they too can achieve qualification.

“I’ve only been in the industry for about five and a half years now. I’m from an ex-military, ex-engineering background so for me, the hands-on sort training is kind of second nature. It’s been more about the learning about the industry and the ins and outs.”

“I’ve got quite a young employee that works underneath me. To be able to take him through my process as well and be able to teach him the correct process, and the correct steps, and the correct ways to be doing what we do, that’s probably been one of the bigger things that I can take out of the program so far.”

Pluck has completed almost half the program already as a fast track learner, dedicating time with his trainer as well as his own time to work through his learning and assessment.

Training the teacher Rosalie Cornea is a Department Supervisor at Total Window Concepts (TWC) and is studying along with the team in her department moving through the program at a steady pace.

“In terms of this training, when they offered us the course, for myself, I thought ‘I need this because I had a different background before.’ I worked as a secondary teacher, so I don’t have any knowledge in terms of training in this Certificate III.”

Cornea says she saw this program as an opportunity to use her skills as an educator to help her staff and to also gain a qualification, recognising her industry skills in the manufacturing sector.

Certificate IV – A new generation of industry leader Katherine Sivewright, a Department Head from TWC, shared her experience as a student in the leadership and management program, particularly the confidence it built in her, through having her skills and knowledge formally recognised.

“Through the program I’ve been mentored people that are working under me and helped them grow, and we’ve all grown together,” Sivewright said.

“I’ve been in the industry for eight years and everything I have learned in the industry this far is through on-the-job experience. That’s the way the industry has always been.”

“But now that this program’s been offered, it’s really helped build the confidence of everyone around me. Even the Cert III participants, the confidence they’ve gained through what they’re learning now is incredible.”

Sivewright supervises a large department at TWC, with over 30 of her team members enrolled in the Certificate III program.