Buderim business boosts youth employment
June 1, 2016
With the region’s high youth unemployment rate an ongoing issue across the Sunshine Coast, one local company has taken steps to assist youths with obtaining valuable work experience and employment, rolling out a student engineering program that has already benefited eight university students, with this number set to rise as the program continues.
Cameron Hall, Managing Director of Hall Contracting – a Buderim-based dredging and civil construction firm – said the company had recently awarded its first full-time Graduate Project Engineer position to University of the Sunshine Coast graduate Ryan Vass as a result of its workplace program.
“Ryan was one of the first students to participate in our student engineering program, undertaking three years of workplace training within our team while completing his tertiary studies,” Mr Hall said.
“As part of the program, students completing a civil or environmental engineering degree are paired with a fully qualified engineer who mentors them and assists with providing first-hand industry experience. They generally work a few days per week while attending university and five days per week during university holiday periods to provide them with consistent and ongoing workplace training.”
“Ryan has been working with us since 2012, and we’re delighted to now have him employed in a full-time capacity after completing his bachelor degree.”
Mr Hall said as a member of the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Foundation Board, he recognised the importance of supporting students and developing pathways for employment.
“With the Sunshine Coast’s youth unemployment rate sitting at 8.8 per cent, it’s crucial that business owners and operators create opportunities for local youths to gain hands-on experience in their industry wherever possible,” Mr Hall said.
“We have access to an incredibly talented pool of young people here on the coast that not only benefit greatly from workplace training, but also contribute fresh perspectives and plenty of energy to the work environment.”
Graduate Project Engineer Ryan Vass said since starting at Hall Contracting, he had developed a wealth of experience which had better prepared him for the transition from university to the workforce.
“As a young engineering student, I was naïve to what civil engineering involved and what it was like to work within the construction industry,” Mr Vass said.
“My training at Hall Contracting allowed me to obtain first-hand industry experience and a greater understanding of the principles taught at university. I am very grateful to Hall for providing me with a solid foundation for working in civil engineering, and for being so flexible in accommodating my university schedule.”
As part of his current role, Mr Vass carries out civil estimation and programming and is heavily involved in the tender submission process. He was offered a position in Hall Contracting’s student engineering program after being awarded the Les and Mary Hall Engineering Scholarship at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Hall Contracting currently has five student engineers working alongside its team of 200-plus staff, and expects to recruit further full-time graduate student engineers in the future. Having been in operation for 70 years, the company has grown to become one of Australia’s largest dredging and civil construction contractors. In addition to its head office on the Sunshine Coast, the company also has offices in Brisbane, Malaysia and Fiji.
To find out more about Hall Contracting, please visit www.hallcontracting.com.au.
// Ends.
Media contact
Kristen Roder, Fresh PR & Marketing
P: +61 406 546 461
E: kristen@freshprm.com.au
[nggallery id=67]
