The accolades keep on coming for Sunshine Coast based business Hall Contracting, with the dredging and civil contracting company having taken out the 2012 Host Employer of the Year award at the Acclaim Apprentices and Trainees awards evening held recently.
Hall Contracting Director Cameron Hall said he was delighted to have the company’s efforts recognised and was proud to host a number of apprentices and trainees on an ongoing basis.
“We currently employ six apprentices and trainees and make an effort to take on new civil construction trainees as well as apprentice diesel fitters and boilermakers every year, ” Mr Hall said.
“It’s a huge honour to receive this award, particularly after one of our team members took out the Trainee of the Year award in 2011. The winning streak really highlights how well the apprenticeship and trainee program is working for all parties involved.”
Mr Hall said the recent success could be partly attributed to the organisation’s flat management structure, which was uncommon in a business with more than 120 employees.
“While it might sound slightly cliché, we really do consider our employees to be part of the extended family, ” Mr Hall said.
“Everyone in the organisation from admin staff and field workers, right through to apprentices and trainees knows they can talk to a company director; we make an effort to keep communication channels open across the organisation and address any employee questions or concerns directly.”
Mr Hall said employing apprentices and trainees was an important part of the company’s succession planning and played a role in developing a sense of commitment and pride amongst staff members.
“In a world where people chop and change jobs regularly, we find that we have a very low employee turnover rate, particularly amongst those we have trained in their chosen career path from day one, ” Mr Hall said.
“We have also hired workers whose parents have worked for Hall Contracting over the years, so there’s a real sense of loyalty that spans back decades.”
Mr Hall said Hall Contracting made a concerted effort to provide apprentices and trainees with the best possible opportunities to learn.
“ One day our apprentices and trainees can be working on a Caterpillar D7 Dozer right here in Buderim, and the next minute they can be on a plane to Darwin to work on an advanced cutter suction dredge at one of Australia’s largest offshore gas projects, ” Mr Hall said.
“The work environment presents a diverse range of learning opportunities and we find our field workers really thrive on this.”
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Press Release, April 3, 2013