Western Roads Federation – WA Transport Industry Training takes a step forward

Western Roads Federation plan to develop a whole of life training solution for the Western Australian Transport industry has taken another massive step forward with the announcement by Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business of a $1.6 million training pilot for the West Australian Transport industry.

Western Roads Federation in partnership with WA’s Training Course Experts, developed a pilot Youth Jobs PaTH program that will provide young people wanting to enter the workforce with real training and real world job experience in WA’s transport and logistics sector.

Funding of this program adds yet another stage to Western Roads Federation multi-staged industry training plan. A comprehensive plan that aims that intends to address all stages of a career.

In line with WRF’s national reputation amongst the other state transport associations as being the most willing to collaborate on joint issues, the plan recognises and adopts good work done by the other states:

WATM • March 2020 1. Stage One: How to Attract People to Industry. Work is being undertaken by WRF to develop a number of actions to attract people to the industry. However, we recognise and are supporting the great work done by Natroad with its job portal and the role it plays in industry attraction. 2. Stage Two: Job Entry Pathway. How do we provide a jobs entry pathway into the industry? The $1.6m pilot program that has just been funded is a key part of how we address this stage. Additional elements are being developed to improve industry attraction.

3. Stage Three: Improving and Developing Skills. • As people develop in their careers they need access to real training and skills development, not the tick n flick approach that has been all to prevalent over the last decade. • Starting with a West Australian Industry driver training academy – Western Roads Federation in-conjunction with the WA State Government is on track to establish an industry driver training school by 1st of July 2020. Where the focus in on real experience for drivers led by the industry. We have worked with the VTA and NTRTA in developing this. • Additionally an advanced first aid training will be provided to remote area truck drivers as part of a joint program between NT RTA and WRF to better equip drivers who are often first responders at major crashes. • We have some really exciting additional training and skills solutions in the pipeline and they will be announced in due course. 4. Stage Four: Developing Business Skills. During careers some people will chose to start their own business, move

up in a business or become an owner driver. To help them develop the skills they need, WRF has picked up on the good work of the QTA and their short courses they have been running. 5. Stage Five: Under Wraps at this Stage But this will fundamentally change our industry’s professional development. 6. Stage Six – Recognising Experience. How do we tap into the decades of expertise of our drivers and industry professionals? There needs to be a way that can tap into the knowledge and hard-won lessons such that we can feed that knowledge back into the industry training and development. WRF as always is happy to collaborate and share information with the other state associations. In the absence of any national leadership on an industry training solution it is we may be able to achieve a harmonised national approach by collaborating and sharing information with the other state associations.

If you want to get involved then become a member, partner or an associate member.

WESTERN ROADS FEDERATION IS THE UNITED VOICE OF WA TRANSPORT COMPANIES Western Roads Federation has been formed to give a strong unified voice for companies who use WA roads for commercial benefit. Western Roads Federation is a membership driven organisation. If you believe in the industry and what you do, then make sure your company is a member, and get involved.

For a membership application form Email cam.dumesny@westernroads.com.au ◆ Phone 08 9365 7799 or 0481 064 371 180 Hay St, East Perth WA 6004