Sunshine Coast transport company Attenross Haulage has become a 100 per cent family staffed enterprise, after welcoming its newest recruit aboard.
Glenn Anderson started an apprenticeship in heavy vehicle road transport with the Palmwood-based business last month, which is owned and operated by his family.
While it may seem like a perfect scenario for the company, which is fully staffed by the Anderson-Ross families, signing Glenn on as an apprentice wasn’t as easy as it appeared.
Loretta Anderson, Glenn’s mother and owner-operator, said knowing “where to start was daunting … to say the least”, especially as the business had no previous experience with taking on apprentices or trainees.
Confused about what avenue to take or where to seek advice, Loretta contacted training solutions experts BUSY At Work about apprenticeships in the Sunshine Coast.
Frances Ross, BUSY At Work industry training consultant, said there are many companies like Attenross Haulage that are unfamiliar with the apprenticeships and traineeship process.
“They had been doing a bit of research but they just weren’t really sure where to go, so they gave us a call and asked if there was any chance they could get some information,” Frances explained.
After careful assessment of both Glenn’s and the organisation’s situation, Frances was able to share good news with the family – not only was the company eligible for financial incentives under the federal government’s Australian Apprenticeships Incentives program, Glenn was also able to access more than $5,000 through the Tools for your Trade initiative.
And because Glenn is over the age of 25 and his trade appears on the National Skills Needs List, further financial incentives will come into play under the Support for Adult Australian Apprentices program.
Frances said the family was “over the moon” with the positive result, particularly Glenn who has long aspired to embark on a career in the automotive field.
And a long and successful career is what he can expect, with his trade identified by the federal government as an area experiencing a skills shortage.
Securing the apprenticeship means that Glenn will not only form an integral part of the family business, but his future employment opportunities will be significantly boosted, Frances said.
By 2015, it is expected that there will be a shortage of approximately 240,000 skilled tradespeople in Australia, with the automotive industry just one of several sectors affected by the skills shortfall.
Loretta said with Glenn now undertaking his apprenticeship in heavy vehicle transport, the company had strengthened its business approach.
“The really good thing is that ours is such a great family that we all know that we can rely on each other always,” she explained.
“With that and BUSY At Work on our side we can only go from strength to strength.”
There are a number of companies that find themselves in a similar situation as Attenross Haulage, Frances said, explaining that they don’t know where to go to seek information about taking on an apprentice.
“We hear it from so many businesses.
“If you have no idea and have never worked in the industry or have never had anything to do with having an apprentice or trainee it can be extremely daunting,” Frances said, adding that showing companies the opportunities available to them is the most rewarding part of her job.
“That’s the part of the job that I love,” she explained.
“You love being able to deliver that good news. It’s very very nice.”
