Two hundred and fifty attendees participated in interactive sessions on career pathways in the freight transport and logistics industry, training initiatives, employment opportunities and the new industrial relations framework in Australia at Freight Week.
Victorian Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation, Jacinta Allan, praised the industry for its vision in developing resources and initiatives to engage career practitioners and future employee prospects about the breadth of career paths in freight transport and logistics.
Ms Allan said Victoria’s TDL industry employed more than 260,000 people and contributed more than 14 per cent to the Gross State Product.
“The TDL industry generates billions of dollars for the state economy and contributes to the success of just about every other industry,” Ms Allan said.
Jacinta Allan highlighted the Victorian Government’s reforms to the skills training sector creating 172,000 new training places and ensuring the skills needs of local businesses are met.
She praised the transport & logistics industry for embracing the reforms, and for small to medium size transport companies taking up the funding opportunities to develop workforce training & action plans under the Government’s Skills For Growth policy initiatives.
Career resources and initiatives showcased included the successful TDT Logistics Cadetship program, now involving 30 junior management Cadets employed by 24 companies in Victoria and South Australia, with a program in WA to commence next year.
A comprehensive T&L and Supply Chain Careers and Course Guide, the first of its kind in Australia, has been circulated to all Victorian Secondary Schools, and was endorsed by the Career Education Association of Victoria (CEAV) as one of the most useful and practical guidance documents for secondary school leavers produced by any industry sector.
Commitment to further education of secondary school students on the importance and scope of freight transport and logistics was evidenced by the launch of “The Right Move”, a new on-line teaching resource for year 7 and 8 students to learn about transport & logistics through the geography curriculum.
In the afternoon, the Fair Work Ombudsman, Nicholas Wilson, outlined his increased powers to pursue and prosecute companies for breaches of the Fair Work Act.
He provided examples of prosecutions in the transport industry where substantial fines and penalties have been imposed for unlawful employment conditions and underpayment of wages.
The message was clear that all employers and employees must understand and apply their obligations under the new industrial laws governing employment in Australia.