ANCA was nominated as a finalist for the Employer Award for Apprenticeship Development at the 65th Victorian training awards. The winners were selected across 16 categories were announced on 6th September at the Victorian Training Awards gala event, where the state’s ‘best of the best’ in the TAFE and training sectors were exhibited.
Stuart Gurney, ANCA Apprentice Master said, “This nomination highlights what we are doing to nurture progressive learning and provide career options for our apprentices.”
ANCA has a history of investing in its people to develop a highly skilled and engaged workforce. Apprentices have always played a vital role at ANCA with one of its co-founders coming from a trade background who continues to value quality training and development.
The establishment of a structured Apprenticeship Program in 2011 formalized this training and increased the number of participants who could experience hands on learning in this exciting industry. ANCA apprentices get exposure to CNC machining, precision fitting, electrical testing and grinding applications throughout their four-year program.
ANCA has partnerships and links with a range of training providers in the community. In the last 12 months it further developed the long-standing partnership with Chisholm Institute by extending the operation as a host-training site to include apprentices from similar industries.
Additionally, ANCA hosts Industry Tours for Career Practitioners from local secondary schools to increase awareness of STEM related career pathways and skill requirements. It also collaborates with OELLEN, Yarra Ranges Tech School, the Yarra Ranges council and other local employers to host a “Tech Tours & Tech Talks” program that aims to broaden industry understanding for students regarding future career pathways within manufacturing.
ANCA Group HR Manager, Eileen Kershaw said, “ANCA’s success is built upon the practical experience and skills of our people who help drive our innovation in a niche market. A key element of our apprentice program is that we have identified the specialist skills required for our advanced technology manufacturing and working alongside traditional TAFE programs, have tailored our own training program to build those specialist and niche skills.
We have focused on not locking our apprentices into one stream, but instead give them experience across a number of our functions through a series of rotations, assisting them to develop a deeper understanding of the overall business and a broader set of skills.”
While announcing the finalists, Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education, Gayle Tierney said, “The Victorian Training Awards don’t just celebrate success – they inspire it. I want to congratulate every student, employer and training provider who have made the Finals, we’re really proud of the work you have done.” Specifically, the awards considered ANCA’s innovation in the delivery of training for apprentices, our links with training providers and the community as well as our positive apprentice and business outcomes.
