Industry Collaboration Award
Supported by
Coates Hire and Local Government NSW
Asbestos Related Work for Local Government
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The clean-up of wild weather events frequently sees dangerous asbestos refuse dumped in public areas, highlighting an urgent need for those qualified to identify it. Thankfully, the Local Government of NSW, NSW Department of Education, Viable Training and Coates Training formed a working group to meet this need.
The working group developed a course that taught local government officers about identification, disposal treatment and PPE requirements of asbestos. As part of the roll-out, the Coates team travelled across NSW in a van containing all appropriate PPE, equipment and materials required under the units of competency, clocking up over 11,000kms to deliver this training to those in greatest need.
In 2022 and 2023, 998 local government workers from 30 NSW councils successfully completed the course. Training has continued with over 200 participants participating. Those who have undertaken the qualification are now not only more skilled, but they are equipped with knowledge that positively impacts their community as a whole.
Department of Education and Royal Agricultural Society of NSW
Rural Students Café
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Frequently, rural and remote VET in Schools students struggle to fulfill the mandatory work placement hours of their Hospitality qualifications due to limited employer availability. To bridge this gap, a collaboration between the Department of Education (DoE) and the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) resulted in the creation of the Rural Students Café.
The RAS offered space at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for an operational student-run café overseen by a head chef and DoE staff. DoE also provided accommodation for students and teachers, so there were no barriers for them to attend.
The 250 students who participated in 2021 and 2022 developed industry-specific skills alongside vitally important soft skills, including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, time management as well as courage and resilience.
The initiative let remote students be part of excellence in action, but also delivered great industry outcomes with more learners committing to gaining apprenticeships and traineeships as a result.
Peter Warren Automotive and TAFE NSW
The D.R.I.V.E Academy
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Recognising the critical industry skills shortage, Peter Warren Automotive (PWA) partnered with TAFE NSW to create the D.R.I.V.E. Academy program.
PWA invested in the training program in an effort to build skills in its own employees and the industry as a whole. Not only aiming to ensure there are enough technicians to fill the public need for vehicle maintenance and repair, the program also responds to emerging industry needs by equipping learners with the skills to respond to current challenges, such as supply chain disruptions.
Operating out of three TAFE NSW campuses, the program has successfully supported 917 staff through their apprenticeship or traineeship during 2022 and 2023. And though retention rates of automotive apprentices are currently low, the collaboration has seen an increase in student retention with sustainable class numbers across all three automotive training stages. These promising results show the investment is paying off.