By KATRINA BRANDON
MAKING sure that apprentices are ready for the workforce, Tequa has created a ‘Bridge the Gap’ program to help ease the transition.
Last month, Tequa held an engagement day at their Morwell office as a key step in transitioning people from apprentices to confident, qualified tradespeople.
Tequa is a multifaceted plumbing, civil, and construction company with diverse training and career pathways to support apprentice programs and help staff transition in rapidly changing environments.
“We’ve currently got 27 apprentices, so when they get to their third and fourth year, we’re working on a program to help strengthen them,” Tequa Chief Executive, Trent Fairweather told the Express.
“Today (February 27) is about really connecting to where they’re at their third or fourth year in their apprenticeship, and then making sure that we look at connecting them to their passions, and making sure we put them in the right part of the business.”
Engaging in conversations such as ‘to be bold and don’t fear mistakes’, Tequa Managing Director, Daniel Smolenaars briefed apprentices on how things can be in the business.
Mr Smolenaars shared with the apprentices that plumbing is just a pathway and that the company is nothing without the people coming to work every single day.
“Gippsland is home to some of the most talented plumbers in the country,” he said.
“If I were to have one piece of advice for apprentices coming through, it would be to prepare to fail. Fail fast, get over it and just keep moving forward.
“We’ve got our fourth-year apprentices here today because we are absolutely dedicated to making sure that the men and women who leave our workplace or stay with our workplace are going to be setup to be great ambassadors of this industry. They will start their own companies. Some of them will continue to work for us.”
Mr Smolenaars explained that to succeed, people sometimes have to tread a challenging path.
“Our success story is built on overcoming setbacks and failure. There is resistance to what we do. We make mistakes, embrace them, and learn from them,” he said.
Mr Fairwearther said the ‘Bridge the Gap’ program ensures apprentices are ready for what’s to come.
“We do quarterly catch-ups with all of our apprentices from their third year onwards every three months. So, this is part of what we’re calling to bridge programs,” he said.
“Once they qualify, they often have a first-year apprentice with them. So they go from being taught to being the teacher. So this is all part of ensuring we can prepare them for that. So once they’re a qualified tradie, they’re ready to take that next step.
“This is meant to bridge them from being a tech or academy staff member, one of our apprentices, to trading so we get all sorts of stuff. Some of them have a very technical mind and want support. Some need personal development in leadership or communication skills, such as customer service.”
Apprentices took part in breakout sessions tailored for their trade, covering topics presented by experts, such as construction with Tequa Operations Manager, Shawn Ray and service and maintenance with John Bailey from IBL Engineering.
