The Northern Road Employment and Industrial Training Hub has officially opened as part of the Australian and NSW Government’s 10-year Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.
With $2.9 billion of Federal funding behind them, the purpose-built hub is committed to creating “a pipeline of skilled people…to supply current projects and leave a legacy of capable Western Sydney workers ready to tackle future projects”.
Investing in the skillsets of future workforces is a crucial responsibility for established industry leaders. Furthermore, committing resources to proper training ensures that long-term plans laid out on paper can be upheld, executed and improved upon by the next generation.
As quoted in Infrastructure Magazine, Melinda Pavey, NSW Minister for Roads, believes that “future hub graduates represent the next generation of skilled workers who will help to build the future world-class infrastructure needed to keep powering Western Sydney.”
Cadetships and Industrial Training
ModularWalls also shares this philosophy, deeply valuing the cadetships and industrial training opportunities offered within their engineering division.
“Our cadets are a valuable aspect of our team dynamics; they come with inspirations and aspirations, and an eagerness to further their knowledge and skills, which is really refreshing to have in the workplace,” explains Nick Holden, founder and CEO of ModularWalls. “Because they’re still new to the industry, they have no pre-conceived ideas or stigmas; a blank canvas, as such! Their varied skillset and mentality can be really beneficial in devising innovative solutions.”
“And, of course, it’s great for an established company to give back to the industry and support emerging professionals,” Nick adds. “It’s an investment for the industry’s and Australia’s future, in that fresh talent holds so much potential; it’s sort of our responsibility to give that potential an opportunity to thrive.”
The Cadets of ModularWalls
Nathan Yabsley, a long-term cadet of ModularWalls, is due to complete his Bachelor of Civil Engineering next year. Nathan says that he deeply values the opportunities available to him through his position within ModularWalls.
“I’m gaining experience from an industry-leading Australian manufacturer, working across all types of projects; from supplying to Tier 1 contractors to comprehensive design-and-construct projects,” explains Nathan. “I’m able to learn and develop a ‘real world’ application of my studies, whilst drawing a wage from flexible working hours that fit around my changing university schedule.”
Nick Buchanan, the newest cadet to join the ModularWalls team, shares the same appreciation of the opportunities available to him. “I’m offered such broad role experiences – from estimating, to design, to project management.”
“Internships and industrial training aren’t the kind of thing that show up noticeably on profit/loss statements. But by having an industry culture of mentoring across all companies — large and small — it safeguards against skilled labour shortages and improves the growth, quality and viability of the civil industry as a whole,” Nick B. adds.
Creating Pathways
This concept sits at the forefront of the Northern Road Employment and Training Hub. As NSW Minister for Western Sydney, Mr Stuart Ayres, explains:
“Infrastructure is about more than bridges, roads and airports; it is an opportunity to create pathways for the next generation of apprentices and workers in NSW.”
