WITH seven locations across the state, including Horsham and Ararat, Skillinvest is well-placed matching people to prospective apprenticeships and traineeships.
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Chief executive officer Darren Webster said Skillivest always strived to find the right match for every person.
“Having over 30 years’ experience and statewide coverage, our focus is to attract specialist talent and select quality people,” he said.
Skillinvest has three distinct service areas. The first is group training for apprentices and trainees.
“Skillinvest employs over 400 apprentices and trainees across Victoria and can assist with placing full-time, part-time or school-based apprenticeships,” he said.
“About 100 of these apprentices and trainees are based in the Horsham area. We have over 200 host businesses. Whether you’re someone looking for a job or an employer looking to employ an apprentice or trainee, Skillinvest can make this happen.”
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The second service area is Skillinvest’s Registered Training Organisation.
“It provides both accredited and non-accredited training for apprentices, trainees, employees and anyone looking to upskill themselves in either their current or a new industry,” he said.
“Training can be tailored to your business’s specific needs and out of the Horsham office we provide accredited training in a number of streams including agriculture, automotive, engineering, civil, business, equine racing and building and construction.”
The final service area is recruitment and labour hire.
“We take the hassle out of recruitment with our specialist team who match candidates with a specific job role,” he said.
“We source and employ labour hire staff for short or long-term arrangements.”
There are a number of exciting opportunities on the horizon for Skillinvest. Its Victoria Police program has been extended to the Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community.
“In conjunction with Jobs Victoria and the Victoria Police, Skillinvest has placed over 35 Indigenous and Torres Straight Islander students into School Based Traineeships with the Victoria Police over the past 18 months,” he said.
“The students are typically in years 11 and 12 and study a Certificate Three in Business Administration over a two-year period. They have been placed in various police stations across Victoria including Horsham, Ballarat, Bendigo and Mildura.
“The program is proving to be a great success with the Indigenous students, which Jobs Victoria has recognised through their agreement to expand it into the CALD community.
“Skillinvest has now placed five Sudanese and one Somali student in police stations in metropolitan Melbourne with another six to commence next year.”
An apprenticeship or traineeship is a great pathway for young people in the Wimmera and beyond
- Skillinvest chief executive officer Darren Webster
Skillinvest also works closely with Longerenong College, and has an office at the school.
“Our Longerenong College division is set to expand into international student training, with the first intake of international students commencing in February 2019,” he said.
“This funding will enable agriculture technology and innovation to be written into the course curriculum enabling students to be trained using on how to use leading edge equipment and technology.”
Mr Webster said there were many benefits to choosing to do an apprenticeship or traineeships over tertiary education.
“An apprenticeship or traineeship is a great pathway for young people in the Wimmera and beyond,” he said.
“As a real alternative to tertiary education, the apprentice or trainee gets paid to study while working and gaining a nationally accredited certificate.
“You are paid while doing training that is structured to be either on-the-job, off-the-job, or a combination of both. Because the training is competency-based, you can complete your training faster once you reach the required level of skill.
“School-based apprenticeships are also available part-time, allowing you to enter the workforce while completing your secondary education. Your past experience and existing skills are recognised, and can potentially reduce your training time if course credits are granted.”
Speaking to the Wimmera Mail-Times in June, Western Victorian Careers Expo chairman Andrew Vague said it was always interesting to see the changing trends in career pathways.
“There’s always a mix of outcomes from out this way,” he said.
“The Wimmera has got a solid base of people pursuing vocational studies, TAFE and apprenticeships.
“For those unsure of what they would like to do, they need to do some investigating and lots of work experience in the fields they are thinking about going into. They should also keep their eyes open for opportunities.”
