Inland Rail Skills Academy graduates get on the tools
A trio of Inland Rail Skills Academy graduates have used their new-found skills to find employment with Inland Rail contractor Martinus Rail and make their own contributions to the project.
Inland Rail Skills Academy graduates (from left) Hamilton Currie, Brett Whyman and (far right) Lawrence Button with Inland Rail’s Cathy Duncan, Senior Program Skills and Training Advisor, and Adam O’Sullivan, Rail Superintendent, Martinus (second right). The graduates gained employment with Martinus Rail and made use of their training during the September possession at Forbes. They say Inland Rail was a great help in securing their training and placement in the rail construction industry.
The three graduates – Brett Whyman, Lawrence Button and Hamilton Currie – completed a five-week Certificate II in Rail Infrastructure course through the Inland Rail Skills Academy earlier this year.
The course, provided by First Nations training provider Yakka Training, took place over five weeks in March and April in Wagga Wagga.
The graduates started work with Inland Rail contractor Martinus Rail and were assigned to the Stockinbingal to Parkes section during the September possession, a 100-hour period where the rail line was closed, and an intense period of construction took place.
With their thorough training and preparation, the three were able to make positive contributions to the project, impressing their colleagues and leaders and, most importantly, working with safety front and centre of all that they did.
Inland Rail is an approximately 1600km freight rail line that will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, enhancing Australia’s national freight network and supply chain capabilities, connecting existing freight routes through rail, roads and ports, and supporting Australia’s growth.
The Inland Rail sections between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in New South Wales are prioritised for completion by 2027.
To view a video interview with the graduates, click here.
Stephen Jones, Inland Rail Executive Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability, said:
“Brett, Lawrence and Hamilton have really shown how the Inland Rail Skills Academy is creating a solid pathway into employment which creates fantastic outcomes for employers and graduates.
“We are proud to be able to help create a learning environment which leads directly into safe and effective employment for our graduates.
“It’s a clear demonstration of Inland Rail’s commitment to delivering strong opportunities for regional communities. The Inland Rail Skills Academy allows us to create opportunities for education, training, skills development, and employment.”
Cathy Duncan, Senior Program Skills and Training Advisor, said:
“We’ve had some really great feedback from Martinus Rail about our three Inland Rail Skills Academy graduates. They have a good understanding of safety, they’re switched on, they’re punctual, they pay attention to detail and they’ve been working really well within the teams they’re placed with.
“It’s been great to see them grow within their positions – the world’s their oyster and it’s up to them where they want to go from here.
“Inland Rail is able to provide opportunities to local people and local workforces, especially our First Nations communities, and it’s great to see regional and rural towns come alive with the Inland Rail project through the opportunities we are helping create.”
Brett Whyman, Martinus employee and Inland Rail Skills Academy graduate, said:
“The Inland Rail Skills Academy appealed to me because it gave me an opportunity to put my foot in the door and start in the rail industry.
“The advice I’d give to locals about the Inland Rail Skills Academy is: go for it. It’s very rewarding once you get into the industry and the Inland Rail Skills Academy will help you with everything to get into the industry.
“It gives you a better future, and if you’re keen to get into the industry it’s a good step to go through the Inland Rail Skills Academy. I’d like to stay with what I’m doing now for at least another two years, and then I’d like to become a (Track) Protection Officer.
“I like being outdoors, working with my hands, and the people I work with are a great bunch. They’re always on the lookout for each other – it’s just like a big family.”
Adam O’Sullivan, Rail Superintendent, Martinus, said:
“Having the Inland Rail Skills Academy graduates has been a success for us.
“They have been exceptional, they came in with no experience and threw themselves into it. They are prepared to listen and learn which gives us the opportunity to teach them the way we like to have our workers and we get them involved with the Martinus culture, which is joining in, having a say, and letting us know if they have problems.
“The boys really enjoyed seeing what starts out as a pile of sleepers and a pile of rails, then being able to understand the drawings and being able to put that together.
“These candidates were absorbing that knowledge, understanding and listening, and really getting engaged in our safety procedures.”
