Dec
2011
Creating jobs and linking with community – a long term plan
On Thursday 1 December, the The Hon Peter Hall MLC, Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Minister responsible for the Teaching Profession handed the keys to a new sustainable house at Selandra Rise in Clyde North to a third year apprentice and cut the ribbon launching MEGT’s Greenhouse project.
The house is one of six affordable homes built under a year-long partnership between MEGT, a not-for-profit organisation and one of Australia’s largest employers of apprentices, Stockland and Porter Davis Homes.
“What could be more fitting to mark the completion of this fantastic affordable housing project
than to be handing the keys to one of the people involved in its construction,” Mr Hall said.
Mr Hall praised the involvement of MEGT, Stockland and Porter Davis Homes, saying the project had resulted in employment for 15 trainees and apprentices in roles as varied as finance, real estate, building and construction.
The project also sets a benchmark for affordable environmental advances in housing construction for the future.
“The Victorian Coalition Government through Skills Victoria provided $100,000 in innovation funding to MEGT to build sustainable and affordable housing and to stimulate ongoing employment within the building and construction industry,” Mr Hall said.
“Each of the houses has been built according to environmental best practice through the use of solar hot water, recycled water for gardens, and the fit-out of smart wiring.
In 2010, MEGT partnered with Stocklands and Porter Davis Homes to pilot a model that would generate employment opportunities for apprentices and trainees. This model needed to be able to be scaled up or down to suit different geographic regions.
Six houses were purchased in Clyde North, Victoria on the Selandra Rise Estate. Learning from the problems of infrastructure and services disconnection faced by some other satellite estates, Stocklands planned the Selandra Rise project with community needs in mind. This was exactly the mindset that was synergistic with MEGT’s plans to create sustainable job opportunities for young people in regions right around Australia.
Fifteen apprentices and trainees have been employed by MEGT and placed with KPMG, Middendorp Electrics, Stocklands and Porter Davis Homes; with more trainees still to be employed for the real estate and financial services businesses connected to the Estate. It is the wide range of skills that makes this project scalable.
Estate building projects cycle tradespeople from house to house. That means only a handful of tradespeople are needed in building a large number of houses. It is when you combine all the industries involved in an estate, that employment for locals becomes sustainable after the houses have been built. While initial apprenticeships and traineeships come from the architects through to analysts, finance organisations and real estate agents, landscapers and the traditional building and construction companies; there are even more opportunities when the Estate is populated by retailers, libraries, sports facilities and schools. The sale of the houses in December 2011 will not therefore be the end of the employment opportunities for the community.
MEGT also assisted one of its apprentices, Michael Belli, in purchasing his first home from the estate.
In December, the project partners will sit down together and talk about the way forward. What were the learnings? What could we do better? Where should we take the model next? It’s important to Australian communities and to the Building and Construction industry that these types of schemes don’t stop with one estate and one region. It’s partnerships that will make them happen.
MEGT would like to acknowledge funding assistance from SkillsVic towards the success of this project.
No commentsDec
2011
Innovative building project lands apprentice a house
Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall will this morning hand the keys to a new sustainable house at Selandra Rise in Clyde North to a third year apprentice who helped build it.
The house is one of six affordable homes built under a year-long partnership between MEGT, a not-for-profit organisation and one of Australia’s largest employers of apprentices, Stockland and Porter Davis Homes.
“What could be more fitting to mark the completion of this fantastic affordable housing project than to be handing the keys to one of the people involved in its construction,” Mr Hall said.
“I congratulate Michael Belli on the purchase of his new home. Michael should feel especially proud to have had a hand in this project and the opportunity to demonstrate the future in affordable sustainable home construction.”
Mr Hall praised the involvement of MEGT, Stockland and Porter Davis Homes, saying the project had resulted in employment for 15 trainees and apprentices in roles as varied as finance, real estate, building and construction.
The project also sets a benchmark for affordable environmental advances in housing construction for the future.
“The Victorian Coalition Government through Skills Victoria provided $100,000 in innovation funding to MEGT to build sustainable and affordable housing and to stimulate ongoing employment within the building and construction industry,” Mr Hall said.
“Each of the houses has been built according to environmental best practice through the use of solar hot water, recycled water for gardens, and the fit-out of smart wiring.
“The Victorian Government continues to support the development of new skills through the Victorian Training Guarantee and it has been a phenomenally successful driver for promoting skills development in Victoria.
“Under the guarantee the Victorian Government has provided subsidised training to record numbers of Victorians to help them acquire the skills they need to secure employment or to improve their current skills base,” Mr Hall said.
Nov
2011
Winner – 2011 MEGT Group Training Employer of the Year
Prue Leighton, Field Officer MEGT Group Training and Kym Hall, Melbourne Zoo
Recognised as a high quality learning environment, Melbourne Zoo, part of Zoos Victoria, tries to provide as many opportunities it can for entry level horticulture apprentices to learn about the wide variety of plants and plantings that only they can provide.
This would not be possible without the assistance of MEGT Group Training, who rotates the lucky apprentices to other host employers after their year with Melbourne Zoo. It means they receive continuity of employment so they can complete their apprenticeship.
Kym Hall, Melbourne Zoo’s Nursery Manager, accepted the Award at the MEGT Graduation on Tuesday 15th November. “Zoos Victoria has a long relationship with MEGT and is pleased with the service it receives from Prue Leighton and the high standard of their apprentices,” said Mr Hall.
The experience with Melbourne Zoo presents some unique challenges. Plants can be trampled by the enthusiastic public; or annihilated by hungry possums. When you work in an animal enclosure, most of the animals need to be segregated – even a tortoise can give a nip. Irrigations systems have to be set up on the outside of an enclosure because primates are pretty good at disassembling it – hey just like Leggo! And there are the challenges of trying to replicate the environments of other countries and regions, but with plants that will tolerate a Melbourne climate.
This is an experience of a lifetime. The apprentices are trained by professionals with world class knowledge and ideas for gardens and habitats. The apprentices get to work on exciting projects, for example, Mark Dobbie, their most recent apprentice and one who has been kept on for an additional year, was involved from start to finish in the new habitat for the new baboon display.
“I was involved in the earthworks, landscaping, irrigation systems and plantings,’ explains Mark. ‘It’s really great to overhear the public compliment it. And it’s wonderful to see how primates that had been on concrete, now have soil underfoot and plants around them.’ Although the baboons’ enthusiasm for some of the trees has been excessive – to the extent they have ring-barked them, it is a life lesson in problem solving Mark will take with him in the future.
Jul
2011
MEGT’s customers continue to win awards
We are thrilled to advise the following MEGT Australian Apprenticeships Centre clients won Awards at the Illawarra (NSW) Vocational Training Awards.
• Graeme Lamb Certificate II in Asset Maintenance – (Waste Management)
Congratulations to you all! |
May
2011
2011 Budget news regarding education and Australian Apprenticeships
2011 – 12 Federal Budget
The 2011 – 12 Federal Budget was delivered on Tuesday 10 May 2011, introducing a range of initiatives for the Vocational Education and Training Sector.
Effective immediately
Access to the standard commencement incentive and the Group Training Organisations’ completion incentive for Certificate II level qualifications will only be available for Australian Apprenticeships provided to priority groups such as
- Indigenous Australians
- apprentices with a disability
- school-based apprentices
- the mature aged (45+)
- rural and remote regions
- job seekers with severe barriers to employment (Stream 4).
This change acknowledges that the Certificate II qualification stream is a valuable pathway for many disadvantaged Australians and is consistent with the Expert Panel’s recommendation to better target the subsidies made available under this program.
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Department/Budget/Documents/20112012/Apprenticeship_Reform.pdf
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Building an educated and skilled workforce
A $3 billion investment in skills and training initiatives over six years will deliver the skilled workers the economy needs and ensure more Australians can benefit from our growing prosperity.
Through the Building Australia’s Future Workforce package the Government is:
- placing industry at the heart of the training effort, with a new $558 million National Workforce Development Fund
- investing to meet the longer-term needs of the economy through a reform focused National Partnership with States and Territories worth $1.75 billion over five years (from 2012-13) and
- reforming the apprenticeship system to make it modern and flexible including accelerated apprenticeships and mentoring support
- increasing workforce participation by giving disadvantaged Australians the skills they need to get a job.
- Minister for Skills and Jobs, Senator Chris Evans, said unemployment is now at 4.9 per cent and 500,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the next two years.
To help meet emerging skills needs, the Australian Government will work with industry and state governments to deliver 370,000 training opportunities over the next four years.
Read the full media release at:
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Ministers/Evans/Media/Releases/Pages/Article_110511_091701.aspx
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More about the article read here:
Jan
2011
Dec
2010
MEGT works with the AECG
The Aboriginal Education Consultative Group for Indigenous People who are studying recognises the IATN team from Nambucca. MEGT’s Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network employs the team and ensures they receive the right training and work experience for a successful career.
Dec
2010
MEGT works with Indigenous communities
MEGT's Indigenous Apprenticeship and Traineeship Network sign the Green Team Alliance in Port Macquarie
Aug
2010
Logan Business Award Winners
Logan business winners
We’ve always known our Australian Apprenticeships Centre team at Springwood, Queensland are sensational. And the local business community thinks so too.
On Friday night at a Gala dinner at the Logan convention Centre with some 400+ Business people in attendance the MEGT Springwood team was awarded “Business achiever of the Year” – Professional services division for the Logan region.
The assessment/judging process included mystery shopper and submissions from Patricia – with public voting.
Congratulations to the Springwood Team for this fantastic recognition within the community.
Well deserved!
MEGT Australia | Australian Apprenticeships
