Two years ago David Smith had the opportunity to do an apprenticeship at the Sunshine Coast company where he’d been working as an offsider but he knocked it back. Now on the job training is giving him the chance to progress from finishing offsider to fully qualified print finisher with Queensland Trade Print.
His original opportunity with the traditional model, which would have taken him four years and required him to travel to Brisbane for trade school blocks, was neither appealing to him nor convenient for his employer.
According to Garth Austin, production leader, the company was keen to recognise Smith’s contribution and value and to invest in the future of the business.
“Another two years went by before we were approached by Future Print Advisor John Scott, who told us about the new training model which would allow David to learn on the job right here in our factory and to progress at his own pace. It wasn’t long before we had David signed up and on his way.”
According to Garth, David’s existing knowledge base and experience is already of enormous value to the business. Once he has completed his apprenticeship it will mean there is another qualified print finisher available for production shifts, which adds value to the Queensland Trade Print Team.
“It can be difficult to find good trades people, particularly if you’re not in one of the major cities, so training makes good sense for us,” Garth explains. “Plus, it gives you the advantage of retaining good staff who already know your business, your clients and your operating environment. We’ve always believed in training and the Future Print model has removed all the inconvenience from the equation, working out much better for David and for us.”
David agrees, saying the thought of having to regularly travel to Brisbane for training blocks simply made the idea of apprenticeships too difficult in the past and also left his employer short-staffed.
“The Future Print training is perfect for me,” he says. “It means I can learn here on the job in Warana, which is more convenient for me and also means we can fully staff both shifts, and with the knowledge and experience I’ve already gained over my time here, I should be able to complete my qualifications in about two and a half years, which is fantastic.”
David completed his first training block in the middle of the year and with ongoing competency-based assessments, expects to complete his ‘first year’ by September.
“The opportunity Future Print has provided for us and for David is invaluable, and we are delighted with the way he is progressing,” says Garth. “Training is so vital and with the advantages offered by this new system, we already have another employee earmarked to start Future Print training as soon as we’re able to make it happen.”