Hyden Engineering has been recognised for its commitment to Vocational Education and Training (VET) at the 2019 Group Training Awards.
The Awards were hosted by the National Apprentice Employment Network NSW & ACT in Sydney on Friday 18 October.
Hyden Engineering was named Small Host Employer of the Year, celebrating the company’s 12- year partnership with award-winning Group Training Organisation, HVTC.
Since 2007, the Maitland-based engineering firm has hosted six HVTC apprentices who undertook on-the-job training with the business as part of the practical training requirements of their apprenticeships.
Another two HVTC apprentices and one trainee are currently hosted to Hyden.
Hyden’s Financial Controller, Sue Kerry, said the whole team was excited when they received the good news and that it wouldn’t have been possible without HVTC’s support.
“Bringing apprentices onboard has been a great asset to our culture, giving tradesmen the opportunity to give back by mentoring the apprentices and sharing their knowledge,” Sue said.
“We employ apprentices because they are keen and eager for knowledge, which is uplifting to all. At the end of their training, Hyden will have great tradesmen with knowledge and skills uniquely tailored to our business and the way we operate.”
Sue explained that the dedication of the team is the key to producing apprentices of such a high calibre and skill set.
“The quality of our apprentices and trainee is a testament to HVTC’s expertise in group training, but also the dedication of our Field Officers, Karen Eveleigh and Kellie Marks. HVTC make taking on apprentices a breeze and I’d like to thank them for their continued support,” she said.
HVTC CEO, Sharon Smith, congratulated the team at Hyden on their award-win, acknowledging the holistic training measures the company has introduced to support the learning and development of its employees, including HVTC’s hosted apprentices and trainees.
“During our 13-year tenure, Hyden have implemented a range of training measures to enhance the learning experience for their employees, including their HVTC hosted apprentices and trainees,” Sharon said.
“This includes one-on-one supervision between the apprentices and a tradesman with more than 30 years’ industry experience, as well as adapting training methods to suit everyone’s learning preferences and needs.”
Sharon said that Hyden had also installed a software package, known as Teams, to ensure tradesmen are available and utilised to assist apprentices in any way required and set up the apprentices’ work benches amongst the general tradesmen so that they all work in the same workspace and apprentices are given continual guidance and support
“Hyden are big advocates of having apprentices in their business and see the benefits of working with HVTC and engaging them in the Group Training model,” Sharon said.
According to research by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Group Training Organisations achieve higher completion rates than direct employment, which Sharon from HVTC said isn’t at all surprising, especially when looking at Hyden Engineering.
“During the mining industry downturn Hyden had to hand back HVTC apprentices they were hosting at the time. However, Hyden recognised the value of apprentices in future-proofing their skills needs and as soon as things turned around Hyden once again engaged apprentices through HVTC,” Sharon explained.
“It is a credit to Hyden that an apprentice that was handed back during this time has returned to work with Hyden in a trade role upon completion of his apprenticeship. That individual is still working there today and is now mentoring and training our current apprentices.
“Hyden are very deserving recipients of this Award and we look forward to working with them for many more years to come,” Sharon concluded.
IMAGE | Workshop Supervisor Bill Cause, Warehouse Trainee Nicholas Gregg, Mechanical Apprentices Dennis Jeffrey and Blake Cross and Mechanical Supervisor Glenn Perry. (left-right)
