KJ Industrial Scaffolding has been named NSW Large Host Employer of the Year in HVTC's 2020 Excellence Awards.
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The Port Kembla company that specialises in commercial, mining and industrial scaffolding is known for its annual intake of at least 10 to 12 trainees and plans to continue providing opportunities to young adults and school leavers during COVID-19.
HVTC chief executive Sharon Smith said KJ Scaffolding's had an ongoing commitment to providing Illawarra youth with skill training and employment opportunities and presently has 14 trainees in scaffolding and business administration roles.
"Over the last 15 years KJ has experienced significant growth and needed to ensure it had a pool of skilled workers ready to meet the growing demand for construction work," she said.
In 2005 KJ showed it was an industry leader in skills training when it developed, with the help of HVTC, TAFE Illawarra and Training Services NSW, a customised scaffolding qualification called a Certificate III in Scaffolding.
The certificate provides skill sets such as basic and intermediate scaffolding, dogging, rigging, forklift and elevated work platform. This was a much-needed qualification to ensure there was a pipeline of skilled workers for the growing business.
"By investing in ongoing training and development, KJ are investing directly in their people with the aim of keeping them engaged so that they'll choose to be part of the KJ team for a long time," Ms Smith said.
KJ Scaffolding labour manager Kieran McGartland said the company is presently doing its intake for 2021 and providing more apprenticeship and traineeship pathways for job seekers and school leavers.
Mr McGartland said 12 months ago the business was finding it difficult to get enough applicants for the traineeships.
"But word had got out during the coronavirus crisis about the two year traineeships being a stable career choice.
"Things have definitely changed. We are working well with HVTC and applicants keep coming forward," he said.
"We have also gone to schools and talked to students in Year 12. There is a fair amount of interest particularly from guys looking for outdoor work."
KJ Scaffolding is also getting a great response from the work it is doing with some Indigenous companies to employ more indigenous youth.
Mr McGartland said the business was in the fortunate position to not only be able to retain its workforce during COVID-19 but continue with its annual intake of at least a dozen trainees.
He described the retention of people who have done do traineeships over the last 15 years as fantastic.
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Mr McGartland said everyone actively made an effort to help the new recruits integrate into the workforce and feel welcome.
"We treat the trainees as our own employees," he said.
"There is no segregation. These young blokes come into the industry and get formally trained by TAFE and work under our experienced blokes for supervision."
Mr McGartland said the construction industry is still moving forward. And KJ Scaffolding was still getting plenty of work in the Illawarra and Sydney which meant a really positive outcome of long term employment for its locally based workforce.
"With our commitments with Sydney Water and other construction sites in the Sydney metro area we are working up there every single day," he said
"At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a commitment made by the owners of the business to keep everyone employed."
Ms Smith said being named Large Employer of the Year was prestigious because as a group training organisation, HVTC partners with more than 250 businesses across NSW who provide on the job skills training and experience for a cohort of more than 660 apprentices and trainees.
The awards was presented during National Skills Week.
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