A traineeship program that has provided training and career opportunities for more than 120 job seekers has been recognised at the NSW Training Awards.
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Group training organisation Hunter Valley Training Company (HVTC) and Service NSW topped the 2019 Industry Collaboration Award category as a result of the traineeship program, which will now see the company shortlisted as a finalist in the Australian Training Awards this November.
Participants in the program completed a 12-month traineeship, gaining a nationally recognised qualification in customer service coupled with real-world skills through on-the-job experience at their local service centre.
To date, 84% of participants have completed the program with another five trainees due to complete in the coming months. Latest figures show that 76% of these completed trainees have secured permanent employment with Service NSW.
HVTC CEO Sharon Smith said this program has provided valuable employment and training opportunities to school leavers and job seekers in many rural and regional communities with traditionally high youth unemployment rates.
"We're proud to deliver a training program that allows Service NSW to build and maintain a sustainable and more diverse workforce for the future. A particular focus was on increasing opportunities for Indigenous people and youth under 25 years of age," Ms Smith said.
HVTC initially was engaged to run a pilot program for Service NSW through the service centres in Goulburn and Parkes for five trainees. Following the success of this pilot, the program was then deployed at a larger scale state-wide, with HVTC tasked to recruit and employ over 100 trainees.
Some of the key successes of this program include 7.2% Indigenous Participation, 81% under 25 participation and 43% regional participation.
"These are some of the highlights of the program, but it's important to look beyond the statistics to recognise that part of the reason this program has been successful is a result of all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes," Ms Smith said.
"From the 2900 candidates screened by our recruitment team, the 618 monitoring visits completed by our field officers to the hundreds of thousands of hours of on-the-job training by Service NSW staff and supervisors - this is collaboration at its best.
"Service NSW should be commended for their commitment to providing regional employment opportunities via a VET pathway. The strong completion and retention rates achieved in this program showcase the value of vocational training and career pathways to other job seekers. "
On behalf of HVTC, I look forward to building on our already strong relationship with the Service NSW team." "Service NSW has been recognised by Great Place to Work Australia as the 8th best place to work with more than 1000 employees.
One of the reason's people enjoy working with Service NSW is we truly represent the communities we serve," said Jody Grima, Executive Director of Service Delivery.
"We're delighted with the Award but even more excited about being part of a program that clearly enables local employment across the state," Ms Grima said.
Earlier this year HVTC secured the contract to continue delivering the traineeship program with Service NSW.
Nine positions are currently on offer in the Hunter, Central West and Sydney. Successful candidates will be employed full-time as Digital Service Representatives with Service NSW, commencing later in 2019. For more information or to apply for these roles visit hvtc.com.au/jobs.
