NEWS EDUCATION/CAREER 04 Jul 2011

RECOGNISING BEST NSW APPRENTICES

The apprentice awards are a much-anticipated event and an opportunity for Komatsu to recognise and acknowledge excellence in effort and skills development by its apprentices.

04072011RecogniseBestNSWApprentices-(1).jpgThe awards were attended by first, second and third year NSW apprentices operating under Komatsu's award winning Apprentice Development System (ADS), as well as Komatsu managers, supervisors and trades people and TAFE representatives.

In addition to the presentation of awards to apprentices, the event also included end-of-assignment presentations by third-year apprentices.

The presentations were of a high quality both technically and instructionally and demonstrated the benefits of the apprentices developing their presentation and public speaking skills, through training with Toastmaster and experience delivering presentation over the past two years.

Unique to this event were presentations by two fourth-year apprentices from the Fairfield complex, four third-year apprentices from the Hunter Valley and two graduate trainee mechanical engineers from Komatsu Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC) in the Philippines who are on a learning assignment with Komatsu Australia for two years.

These apprentices and engineers were sent to Brisbane in February following the Brisbane floods to support Komatsu's recovery effort on Komatsu facilities and machines that were damage

by the flood.

Their experiences in Brisbane in a disaster situation were invaluable for all involved to use their technical skills, work as teams and in the development of camaraderie under extreme and

difficult circumstances.

The event was designed and organised by Gavin Manning, Komatsu apprentice development manager for NSW.

Awards were presented to the following:

First-year 2010 Apprentice of the Year: Ben Mowat, who also commented on "the outstanding level of training he had in his first year".

Second-year 2010 Apprentice of the Year: Shane Bradley. This award included a tool chest and trolley assembly donated by JBS and Blackwoods. "I am very pleased to receive the award and the JBS chest," said Shane. "The apprenticeship opportunities in the ADS program will stand me in good stead for my future with Komatsu."

First-year Most Improved 2010 Apprentice of the Year: Rory Symonds. "I have tried to use what I have learnt so far in the last two years and to build on that knowledge into the future," he said.


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