ADVERTORIAL
George and Helena Peever, Owen and Beth Jones and Tom Birt
APPRENTICES BUILD OUR FUTURE AT TORGAS, EVERY STAFF MEMBER HAS THE SAME GOAL; ENCOURAGING NEW APPRENTICE/TRAINEE COMMENCEMENTS TO ENSURE OUR COMMUNITY HAS A SKILLED WORKFORCE IN THE FUTURE. Tom Mangan from Community Solutions (Platinum Partner) with Trainee of the Year, Karly Moro
SINCE THE GFC, apprentice and trainee numbers have been rapidly decreasing across Australia while the number of tradespeople retiring and exiting the trades continues to increase. This leaves a serious deficit in the area of skilled workers. It takes around 10 years to get an apprentice to a Master Trades person status. This means that Australia will again see the same problem of finding skilled people needed to maintain and grow our economy. The solution, says TORGAS CEO George Peever, is to take on an apprentice and invest in your business, our region, state and nation.
Karly Moro, who is hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, won the Most Outstanding Business Administration Trainee of the Year Award and the overall TORGAS Trainee of the Year Award. Chalmers Underwood was the other big winner of the evening, winning Most Outstanding 4th Year Electrical Apprentice of the Year and then being named the TORGAS Owen T Jones QLD Apprentice of the Year — the ultimate award for apprentices. Chalmers’ host business, Schneider Electric Buildings Australia, was there to celebrate with him.
“We are there every step of the way throughout the apprenticeship. And it is this high quality support that produces TORGAS apprentice and trainee completion rates 30-40 per cent higher than the national average,” George says.
TORGAS CEO George Peever interviewed all the finalists personally and was very impressed by the standard of trainees and apprentices. “They are courteous, respectful, focussed, diligent and passionate. The quality and strength of character of these young apprentices and trainees leaves me in no doubt that the world is in the best of hands,” he says. “Apprenticeships are crucial to the Australian economy. Give someone a chance and take on an apprentice. Invest in the future and reap the rewards.”
TORGAS, the Apprentice & Trainee Specialists, recruit apprentices and trainees and place them with host businesses; however TORGAS remains their legal employer. If the recent TORGAS 31st Annual Awards Night is anything to go by, TORGAS knows all about finding that quality apprentice. The event was held on Friday 29 of May at Jupiters and is recognised as TORGAS’ premier event celebrating the success of outstanding apprentices and trainees. This year saw over 70 finalists in 30 categories, including the Rising Star Award, Workplace Health & Safety Recognition Award and the two prestigious awards of the evening; the TORGAS Trainee of the Year and the TORGAS Owen T Jones QLD Apprentice of the Year award.
94 DUO MAGAZINE JULY 2015 duomagazine.com.au
The full list of winners available on www.torgas.com.au
TORGAS Townsville Office 439 Bayswater Road, Garbutt 4759 0000 or 1300 TORGAS www.torgas.com.au