Amid all the gloom and doom about dwindling uptakes of apprenticeships by Australian industry, perhaps businesses could take a leaf out of the book of Macarthur industrial company Sevaan Group.
In the six years since a major amalgamation formed the Sevaan Group, this leading firm has offered dozens of valuable work placements to Year 11 and 12 students studying metal and engineering as part of their Higher School Certificate.
The company is now being recognised for this major effort, winning an MWLP Linking Youth Business of the Month award for October.
To the company’s co-founders, Artemis and Jim Tzakos, the biggest accolade however is recognition that whenever any student is identified by the scheme as a natural talent for the fabrication sector, he or she is offered an apprenticeship.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“At the moment, there could never be enough apprenticeships in the manufacturing sector, so at least we know that our efforts and the opportunities we give to young, aspiring trade-minded people will help lift the skills base in this country,” Jim Tzakos said.[/social_quote]
“It’s part of our win/win philosophy and we see prospects in the MWLP work placement program as it is a good opportunity to source employees.
“We tailor the work to suit the student, exposing them to a wide range of operations including laser cutting, machining and welding.
“Those students demonstrating initiative and an ability to follow professional instructions will be allowed to take on more – it’s all about their attitude.”
Sevaan Group is located in the Minto industrial estate and has set itself up as a technically-enabled cutting edge fabrications specialist.
It has also been recognised with various industry awards.
“Being leaders in our field requires more than a capable team and capital equipment; high on the list is the sourcing of talented youth to maintain the highest skills base possible coming through the company,” Jim Tzakos said.
