Hall Contracting Civil Operations Manager Phillip Carn said the award celebrated 15 years of assisting Sunshine Coast youngsters to gain qualifications in their chosen trade.
“To date, we’ve hosted 40 apprentices and trainees studying in a range of areas including diesel fitting, mobile plant technology, civil pipe laying and civil construction,” Mr Carn said.
“We currently have five apprentices working across our workshop and construction sites and we look forward to bringing more on board in the coming years as the company continues to grow.
“It’s a real honour to have received recognition for our efforts and we’re delighted to have built such a strong relationship with Community Solutions over the past 15 years.”
Mr Carn said with the Sunshine Coast recording a youth unemployment rate of 15.1 per cent in February 2019, the company was pleased to be playing a role in generating employment opportunities for those looking to enter the workforce.
“There are so many motivated young people living locally and it’s really rewarding to be able to introduce some of them to the civil and marine construction industry and assist them to become competent, qualified tradespeople.
“Many of our past apprentices and trainees have gone on to obtain full-time employment with us after completing their formal training and they have proved to be assets to our team.”
Fourth-year apprentice Jacob Castellaro – a Palmwoods resident and former Burnside State High School student – said he’d jumped at the opportunity to undertake a Certificate III in Mobile Plant Technology with Community Solutions and Hall Contracting.
“I’ve always been interested in the civil construction industry so an apprenticeship felt like the right career path for me,” Mr Castellaro said.
“I get along really well with my teammates and they make it easy to get the job done.
“My plan is to remain living and working on the Sunshine Coast and I’d like to stay on at Hall Contracting once I finish my apprenticeship.”
Fellow apprentice Wayne Hawke said he enjoyed getting to work on a range of civil construction and dredging equipment as he trains to become a qualified diesel fitter.
“A typical day for me involves carrying out welding and diagnostics, and working with hydraulics and gears.
“I’ve got a great group of people around me and I really enjoy the hands-on learning environment.”
In addition to hosting apprentices and trainees, Hall Contracting also employs undergraduate and graduate engineers as part of its commitment to local youth employment generation.
