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WPC Group Chairman recognised for contribution to VET sector

Mr Maddern was presented with the Apprenticeship Employment Network (AEN) Lifetime Achievement Award at the AEN Awards Night in Melbourne on November 22.
AEN is the peak industry body representing not for profit group training companies across Victoria. The Award recognises an individual, for their contribution to vocational education and training and the advancement of Group Training in Victoria.
Mr Maddern says he feels “humbled” and “grateful” to have been recognised.
“It is a great honour to receive an award like this. I am tremendously thrilled with the support I have been given over the years, and I couldn’t have achieved half the things that I’ve done without the teams I’ve had behind me,” Mr Maddern says.
Having enjoyed a wide-ranging career, Mr Maddern has held foundational and significant roles with numerous government and community organisations, including Councillor and Mayor of the City of Footscray, President of the Municipal Association of Victoria and President of the Australian Local Government Association.
Mr Maddern’s involvement with the VET sector goes back to 1974, when he was the CEO of the Western Region Commission (WRC), which was formed to address the high level of youth unemployment in Victoria’s Western Suburbs.
In 1983, Mr Maddern worked with the WRC Board to develop Western Region Group Training (WRGT), the first community based GTO established in Victoria. This GTO officially relaunched in 2007 as WPC Group. As Chairman, Mr Maddern worked with his team to strengthen the traineeship and apprenticeship models, at a time where there was a lack of focus and lack of funding. Fred worked hard to reinvigorate group training, repositioning WPC Group for the 21st century, never losing focus of the apprentices and trainees and the communities he had set out to help. Mr Maddern continues this work, still Chairman of WPC Group today.
Mr Maddern also chairs the Skilling Australia Foundation and is actively involved in supporting its activities. Set up in 2012, the Foundation works in innovative ways to support young Australians facing disadvantage to forge their own career pathways through training and employment.
Fred says he is proud that the work done by the Western Region Group Training Company (now WPC Group) and Skilling Australia Foundation has allowed thousands of young people to pursue meaningful careers.
“That in itself is a very rich reward,” Fred says, “to know that you have been a very important part of young people’s lives.”
‘Aussie Benz apprentices land US scholarship’ – GoAutoNews Premium, Online
‘Job-readiness program plants seeds for Connor’s career’ – Berwick Star News
As a 19-year-old high school graduate, Connor Noonan had no idea what career path to explore.
“Apart from not wanting a desk job, I had no real idea about what I wanted to do. I was just applying for any job that would take me, and figured something would come up,” Connor says.
At an interview, Connor was told about the Citi New Recruits Program. Having never been employed before, he saw the program as a valuable experience that would look good on his resume and open up job opportunities, so he signed up.
“I found the program incredibly helpful,” Connor says, “it taught me a range of important skills and gave me more confidence when going in for a job – it was really worth my time.”
One year on, the 20 year-old Berwick resident is thriving as a parks and gardens apprentice at Haileybury College in Keysborough.
And just last week he was announced as one of four scholarship winners on 11 July who will travel to Sydney for a cultural and career development experience for a week.
“I was very surprised but also excited because it’ll give me a good opportunity to expand my knowledge on what I’m currently learning at TAFE and work,” says Connor.
“It’ll be a good opportunity for me to branch out from what I normally do day-today. I think it’ll be really beneficial to help out with my apprenticeship.”
The Citi Foundation scholarships are awarded to young people who have completed a three-week Citi New Recruits job-readiness program and have since excelled in their traineeship.
Connor plans to finish his Certificate III in Parks and Gardens at Holmesglen TAFE in Glen Waverley, then upskill further so he can become a qualified gardener and landscaper.
While Connor says “gardening was the furthest thing from my mind when I graduated”, over the past year he says he has grown to love it.
“I find it therapeutic in a way. I like to work with my hands and love working outside in the sun, rather than stressing out behind a desk.”
Why Investing In Apprenticeship Makes Good Dollars And Sense #Forbes
1st November 2016 | forbes.com | by Nicholas Wyman |
In a highly polarized election cycle, it is hard to find a topic on which presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump agree. But there is at least one area of common ground: both candidates know that the strength of the economy depends on getting more people into good jobs.
Whether it’s creating more jobs or filling the millions of job vacancies that exist, tackling unemployment depends on effective training and education. As Clinton stated in her acceptance speech at the Democratic convention, “College is crucial, but a four-year degree should not be the only path to a good job. We’re going to help more people learn a skill or practice a trade and make a good living doing it.”
Clinton’s workforce and skills agenda specifically calls for a tax credit for businesses that hire apprentices, and a bonus on that credit for hiring people under 25. Apprenticeship is a time-tested career-training model that is seeing more and more bipartisan support.
While Trump has never presented a formal agenda on workforce development, he has promised to increase access to higher education and skills training, and to invest in job training and education for veterans.
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