Tranzqual and WINZ to boost skilled worker numbers

Tranzqual Media Release
20 April 2009

Tranzqual and Work and Income partner up to boost skilled worker numbers

Tranzqual Industry Training Organisation is to ramp up its support of the Government's aim to assist unemployed people getting skilled jobs within the road transport industry.

Tranzqual and Work and Income have recently signed a relationship agreement to ensure that anyone receiving a benefit will have access to high quality training.

Tranzqual, which is responsible for road transport, passenger service and logistics industry, will monitor road transport courses funded by Work and Income to ensure more people are able to upgrade their skills to work in the road transport industry.

Tranzqual Group Manager Customer and Business Solutions, Tony Lansdown, said the agreement signified that Tranzqual and Work and Income would work more closely together to draw on each others’ expertise. The main outcome was a win-win situation, he said.

“Work and Income will be getting more people into quality training while at the same time addressing a main industry issue; the shortage of skilled workers.”

Before now, Work and Income and Tranzqual had been working together on a more ad-hoc basis, often through third parties such as training providers and individual companies.

“Tranzqual will now work more directly with Work and Income. For example, we’ll provide expert advice to Work and Income when it is tendering for new industry courses. Through the relationship we’ll be more formally involved in the setting up and monitoring of quality training.”

A success story of taking people off benefits and into the transport industry was demonstrated last year when a Bay of Plenty double amputee was named as the friendliest bus driver in the country. Stephen Heke from Bayline Coaches in Tauranga competed in the 2008 Tranzqual Australasian Bus Roadeo in October and was awarded the Commercial Road Skills Award for Excellence in Customer Service. Just 12 months prior, mister Heke was on the Sickness Benefit after losing his feet to a disease. A relationship between Work and Income and the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic resulted in Mr Heke training as a bus driver and gaining work with Bayline.

ENDS

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