Family approach a plus for apprentices
While all businesses need to invest in training their future workforce, a Brisbane-based steel products manufacturer goes well beyond normal expectations.
Stoddart Manufacturing, at Sunnybank, has a family-orientated approach to training apprentices.
Since the company opened in 1959, Stoddart has always been committed to training young people and taking apprentices and work-experience students. Of its 400 employees, 57 are apprentices.
Despite its 49,000m2 factory space spanning three locations, Stoddart prides itself on being a family. Trainees joke with Apprentice Manager Ross Wilson, who is a stable, nurturing role model for many of the apprentices.
Ross knows how to get the best out of them and, to him, their backgrounds are insignificant because he sees their potential.
Four years ago, Stoddart partnered with three nearby schools and a training organisation, Skills Tech Australia, as part of the Manufacturing and Engineering Gateway Schools Project.
In a collaboration between the Queensland Education Department and Manufacturing Skills Queensland (MSQ), the project involves school-based apprentices in years 11 and 12 working with an employer as paid employees for a minimum of 48 days while studying for their Queensland Certificate of Education.
At the same time, students undertake a qualification with the registered training organisation. Stoddart's apprentices are trained through Skills Tech Australia.
Before working in unison with schools, Ross said Stoddart used a different approach – selecting apprentices involved extensive interviews and assessments.
"We would see a very high drop-out in apprentices because there was no way of identifying their potential or passion before hiring them," he said.
In the school-based approach, Ross said students complete a Certificate in Light Metal Fabrication in year 11, which involves holiday work experience. Students then participate in a school-based apprenticeship in year 12, at the end of which Stoddart determined who would be taken on as full-time apprentices.
"Stoddart has actually taken on fewer apprentices because the retention rate has been extremely high. In 2010, there were 14 school-based apprentices and, at the end of the year, there were still 14. No one dropped out and they were all too good to not take on as full-time apprentices," Ross said.
"Ultimately, we get better apprentices because they have been trained properly and, more importantly, we have apprentices who have a passion for what they are doing."
Ross said work experience allowed students to get a taste of a broad spectrum of services within Stoddart to decide what they really wanted to do.
"Managers in each of the sections provide feedback on students so Stoddart already has a feel for who they might employ."
About 75% of apprentices came through three nearby schools, including the major gateway school, Runcorn State High School. Ross said Runcorn SHS was "leading the way" in manufacturing and engineering education.
"The school has teachers who are tradesmen who have experience in the industry and the school is showing it has a real commitment to the industry and furthering the kids' experience."
Ross said the approach of "teaching kids as they worked" aimed to solve skills shortages the industry had experienced for many years.
More than 30 years ago, Ross was an apprentice at Stoddart and, even then, there was a lack of skilled workers in the industry.
"While I don't think there is a 'quick fix' to the skills shortage, the program does make a difference," he said.
But Ross said the main benefit was the effect it had on students once they committed to succeeding. "The kids really grow in confidence and their whole attitude towards other school subjects changes.
"Once they are doing something they like, that passion and motivation spills over into other facets of their school life," he said.
As part of the project, MSQ provides some lucky students with scholarships valued at $2,000.
Last year, MSQ offered 40 scholarships to Queensland secondary school students from nine schools working together with industry partners.
Two Runcorn SHS students received scholarships for school-based apprenticeships at Stoddart in 2010.
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