THE recent O’Connors expansion into Mildura, Swan Hill and Ouyen is creating career opportunities for young locals.
When the company acquired the Sunrise Ag network in those centres, it brought its Redstart apprenticeship program – offering a strong start to a career in agriculture.
O’Connors’ human resources manager Lisa Day says the group formalised its approach to apprenticeship recruitment and training through the launch of the apprenticeship incentive.
Lisa says O’Connors has a long history of employing and supporting apprentices, which has evolved into “growing our own” with a training environment designed to attract the best possible candidates and applicants to the program each year.
She says the people selected are rewarded through a first-class apprenticeship program filled with incentives only on offer to Redstart trainees.
“Our Redstart apprentices attend the Wagga Wagga campus of TAFE NSW, which has a dedicated Case IH training centre where apprentices will have the opportunity to complete their training working on the brand’s latest product range,” Lisa says.
“All successful candidates will be enrolled into the Certificate III in Agricultural Mechanical Technology, which includes Case IH-specific training at the dedicated facility.”
TAFE automotive head teacher Wayne Sibrey – who is the man responsible for delivering the program to Redstart apprentices – says “no other training organisation or facility offers this type of dedicated ag mechanical training”.
Wayne describes the course as a dedicated hands-on approach to training people to succeed in the growing field of technology and its impact on ag machinery.
“We have a partnership with Case IH, which supplies the latest machinery and components for the program’s students, ensuring they are all given access to the most up-to-date and advanced equipment,” Wayne says.
“We know apprentices need to have hands-on experience in real-world environments and we deliver that through our 140-acre working farm.
“The farm allows us to implement faults, test and repair in the workshop and test drive under real in-paddock conditions. We can install and program GPS systems and simulate real life scenarios.”
Other incentives for apprentices include $5000 worth of Kincrome tools (and toolbox) and additional internal training.
There are also the Redstart conferences, at which all the company’s apprentices come together for an entertaining and educational mix of activities, training and professional development.
Program graduate Corey Bell, now a qualified service technician at the O’Connors Warracknabeal branch, is full of praise for the program.
Corey says completing his apprenticeship at the dealership was simply the icing on the cake.
He says working as a diesel mechanic for O’Connors has proved to be “hugely rewarding and satisfying”.
“We’re given the responsibility and autonomy to problem-solve and diagnose faults to get to the root cause of the client’s issues and to implement the solutions as required to rectify the problems,” Corey says.
“Working with such hi-tech and powerful equipment, and knowing we are part of the support mechanism that ensures our farmer clients can continue to grow the food we need, is a great feeling.”
Applications for the 2022 Redstart program close on August 29.
For further information and applications, go to www.oconnorscareers.com.au/apprenticeship-program or call Tim Nagorcka on 0448 598 000.
