ARTICLE BY MARYBOROUGH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
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EXAMPLE OF A TELSTRA BUSINESS AWARD WINNER
AN EXAMPLE OF A PREVIOUS TELSTRA AWARDS WINNER
Investment in staff, technology and community keys to rapid growth
Within a short time, the company has won a slew of major construction projects and expanded its presence with offices in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth.
According to founder and Joint National Principal of Point Project Management, Michael Snare, embracing the latest in interactive IT tools, minimising overheads, and utilising highly efficient ISO accredited business processes has enabled them to offer the highest quality and proactive service at exceptional value for money.
Investing in staff and the community is also vital to their success, one such example was committing to raise nearly $100, 000 to help an employee receive treatment for cancer
Point’s successful business model was recognised by the judges of the Telstra Business Awards last year, awarding them the National Winner of the Panasonic Australia Medium Business Award.
According to Mr Snare, the win was just one benefit the company realised by participating in the Awards.
“The process of entering gave us an introspective assessment of our business. We had to focus on key issues such as where we are going to be in five years.
“As a result, we revised our business plan and added more detail about what we wanted the business to achieve in the next five to ten years.”
Another advantage was the extensive media exposure that Point Project Management gained from its win in the Awards, something that smaller businesses often struggle to achieve on their own.
“We had so many people telling us that they had seen us in the newspaper, which was really exciting. Having people congratulate us and acknowledge our achievements is an amazing feeling,” he explained.
“Following the win, we also saw an instant change in the demand for our services. We were receiving phone calls almost every day in the weeks following our win from potential clients and customers with new opportunities,” Mr Snare said.
“For our customers to know that we are at a level to win such a prestigious Award gives them added confidence, which is something that can’t be understated.
“Not long after our success, we won our first open tender, something we hadn’t been able to achieve prior to the Telstra Business Awards. While we can’t attribute this directly to the Awards, I’m sure that it was a contributing factor.”
To be part of the 2010 Telstra Business Awards visit www.telstrabusinessawards.com
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FRASER COAST TRADES & SERVICES CENTRE and MINING INDUSTRY
Mining boom boosts Howard
Stephen O’Grady | 9th March 2010
Henry Sapiecha on his land at Howard.
Photo by Alistair Brightman
A RESURGENT mining boom on the Fraser Coast may be in its infancy but that is not stopping Henry Sapiecha from plotting a Burrum revolution.
Howard is close to Henry’s heart and as the publicity officer of the Burrum and District Chamber of Commerce, he believes that striking before the coal is out of the ground – let alone hot – is paramount for the little town.
“I’m working out a way to reinvent Howard,” Mr Sapiecha said.
“This is an area that should be going ahead. This is the start of a new beginning.
“This can be an important location for the industry during the upcoming decade.”
The Burrum chamber’s economic advisory committee hosted a meeting last week where a Mackay-based mining expert presented an idea of what would be required if mining corporations Santos and Northern Energy get the go-ahead in this region.
“He was talking about thousands of jobs,” Mr Sapiecha said.
“He is into training people for the mines so as not to suck the talent out of the community.
“He spoke about feeling out the community, getting the mining people what they want without disrupting the local community.
“This is about getting apprentices trained and knowing about the mining industry.”
Mr Sapiecha is determined for his town to reap the benefits and is proposing to develop a parcel of land near the Howard railway line into a custom-built trade centre.
His company, Wide Bay District Developments, and Semfield, owned by John Turnbull, own the adjoining sites.
“All areas of the Fraser Coast will benefit. All areas will get work and will interact with the industry in some way.
“But I’m biased; I want this area to be its base.
“This industry will need to be serviced and supported.”
He has set up Fraser Coast Trades and Service Centre at Howard which – aligned with nearby rail and highway infrastructure – can make Howard the hub of a mining boom.
“I want this area to interact with them as quickly as possible.
“They will still utilise services in the whole region but will need a more immediate back-up to service their requirements.
“We want to make it harder for these people not to use this place as a centre.”
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We would like to thank Steve and the Chronicle for giving us the coverage for the project and for the area generally especially in the light of the existing mining interests and the positive impact it would have on our local economy.
Hopefully more of the same in the near future.
Be aware that lots are available now for purchase as are sheds to be constructed for rent.
CASH IN NOW ON YOUR BUSINESS BY LOCATING HERE – OR MISS OUT
VIEW INFO HERE >>
www.fctsc.com.au
Published by Henry Sapiecha 10th March 2010
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KEEP WORKING AUSTRALIA INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER
Bundaberg – Fraser Coast
Keep Australia Working Newsletter Issue No.3, February 2010
Keep Australia Working is a Commonwealth Government Initiative to provide on the ground support and focus in twenty priority areas across Australia assessed as at higher ris
k during the current Global Financial Crisis.
| BACK TO SCHOOL AND BACK TO WORK Already it is February and we are all well back into work and kids back to school. It highlights to me how little time we have to ‘get things done’. Hence, my early priorities for 2010 include working closely with the Keep Australia Working Advisory Committee to finalise and implement the Regional Employment Plan. This will aim to further mitigate the economic downturn in the region, respond quickly to any other impact, such as job losses, and seeks to establish a collaborative framework to reinvigorate the economy in the Bundaberg -Fraser Coast, mitigating against future downturns.
Importantly, the advisory committee have strongly voiced a focus on providing opportunities to retain our youth and to “talk up” the Wide Bay region to encourage economic growth and investment and hence further job opportunities. QUEENSLAND HOTELS ASSOCIATION – APPRENTICE INITIATIVE I will be hosting a meeting of hoteliers and restaurateurs to discuss apprenticeship opportunities for young people on Tuesday 9th February 4.00pm in Hervey Bay, Wednesday 10th Feb at 10am in Bundaberg and at 3.00pm in Maryborough. This is an initiative of the Queensland Hotels Association, in conjunction with William Angliss Institute, with an aim of local employers hearing about the benefits of the additional Apprenticeship Kickstart bonuses available until the end of February. The focus of this meeting will be Chef and Cook apprenticeships. It would be good to see some apprenticeship opportunities come from this meeting. APPRENTICE KICKSTART BONUS We strongly encourage employers in the Bundaberg – Fraser Coast to take advantage of this incentive bonus to provide much needed opportunities for youth in our region. It’s not too late for employers who take on an apprentice into a traditional trade between 1 December 2009 and 28 February 2010 to receive the $3,350 Apprentice Kickstart Bonus from the Australian Government. The Kickstart Bonus targets apprentices aged 19 years and under. To get more information on the Apprentice Kickstart Bonus talk to your local Australian Apprenticeship Centre. If you do not know the name of your local Australian Apprenticeship Centre, contact me and I can put you in touch.
BUILDING THE EDUCATION REVOLUTION Construction is underway in schools throughout the region for many of the projects approved for funding under the Building the Education Revolution (BER) initiative. I am keen to get local businesses involved in the fit-out and finishing of these projects and I’ve been in contact with the Queensland Government person managing these projects so we can maximise opportunities. Local businesses interested in finding out how to tender for this work should attend the Major Projects Forum (see below). MAJOR PROJECTS FORUM I’m linking with AIEMnet to present a Major Projects Forum to provide local building and construction businesses and Manufacturing and engineering firms in the supply chain with information on how to engage with and tender for Government business as well as other major projects.
OLDER WORKERS The latest Intergenerational Report released on 1 February 2010 confirms that Australia has an ageing population which will only increase over the next few decades. The challenge for Governments and employers is to increase productivity while utilising the available resources. Certainly keeping older workers in the workforce for longer is an important strategy, however there are many who are not in the workforce who would like to be. Older workers are a much underutilised resource. Most employers are aware of the figures on the ageing population, however many, while aware of the benefits of older workers, have not been successful in engaging them in terms of recruitment. Check out the website www.olderworkers.com.au , an Australian owned and operated national jobs board with many thousands of registered jobseekers over the age of 45 years searching for employment.
My School The long awaited My School website went live on 28 January 2010. This site allows schools, parents, students and communities to search the profiles of almost 10,000 Australian schools. My School is run by the independent Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). We all know that the performance of schools is greatly affected by a range of student and school characteristics. The My School website allows and encourages comparisons with schools that are statistically similar in terms of a range of factors known to affect performance. This site allows people to see how their school is doing when compared with similar schools. Education is so important for our young ones. It is up to us as a community to make sure our young people get the best education they can. Have a look at the website at http://www.myschool.edu.au
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CENTRELINK JOBS EXPO – UPDATED Below One of the major events for 2010 will be the Bundaberg Centrelink Jobs Expo. The expos are designed to create a ‘jobs marketplace’, bringing together employers and job seekers. They provide information about, and access to, local jobs and job pathways as well as financial management information and information about government and community services. Jobs Expos held in other Priority Employment areas have been hugely successful with many employers and thousands of people attending on the day, with hundreds of jobs on offer. As soon as we have a confirmed date I will let you know so you can claim the date in your diary.
UPDATE – Date Claimer – We now have a (nearly) confirmed date for the Centrelink Jobs Expo: May 19 2010. I’ll provide you with more details closer to the time. In the meantime, note the date (19th May) in your diary. Should you have any queries about this event please do not hesitate to call Mark Rowland on the numbers below. I will provide further updates in future newsletters as they come to hand.
JOBS FUND Assessment of the Round Two Jobs Fund applications is nearly complete. We have some excellent applications from our region, so I am hoping for some good news soon. The wait is nearly over.
mychild Another website of interest to parents is the http//www.mychild.gov.au website which provides information on different types of child care and how to access help with child care costs There is a database to help find local child care services. There are links to other websites about children’s health and wellbeing, parenting and family support services. The first five years of a child’s life are so important. This is when they do their most important learning. Did you know that children develop most of their intellect, personality and skills by the age of five? Access to high?quality early education is one of the best ways to ensure the best future for our children. Investing in our children benefits them through the development of their cognitive, emotional and social skills and by achieving sound health and well being. YOUTH AND TRANSITIONS Last month I reported that there will be two new programs commencing in the district to support youth. I identified that the new providers would be:- Partnership Broker(PB) – Community Solutions, and Youth Connections (YC) – Bundaberg Skills Centre. I should have mentioned that for the PB services Community Solutions will work in a consortium with United Synergies, and for the YC Bundaberg Skills Centre Trading as Impact Make Your mark will work in a consortium with Fraser Coast TESS and South Burnett CTC. This enables the providers to be able to deliver across the large region that they have to service. Australian Jobsearch Did you know that www.jobsearchaustralia.com.au is the country’s largest free online jobs site? While the site will be very familiar to JSA providers and jobseekers, employers may not know that they can also use the site. Unlike other web?based recruitment sites, Australian Jobsearch allows employers to advertise their jobs free of charge. Employers can also manage applications from candidates online through the application tracker tool or browse for staff to fill their jobs. This is the largest free board in Australia and ranks fourth among the top job boards. Visit the site today, register your details (including ABN) and try it out. GIDARJIL Cultural Festival To celebrate the symbolic ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Gurang and Gooreng Gooreng peoples, the Traditional Owners of the Port Curtis Coral Coast Native Title Claim area. Welcome the cultural exchange Whanau (Family) New Zealand Maori guests from Te Kuiti, and enjoy the traditional and cultural festivities and activities organised for the day. When: Friday, 5 March 2010 Time: 10am – 4pm Where: Edina Street, Lions Park Bundaberg North QLD 4670 Live entertainment: Traditional dance performances, Indigenous band, Local Indigenous art/artefacts for sale Local informative Expo displays – GBRMPA / DERM Language interpretative display, Children’s activities Traditional Kup-muri lunch
RSVP: 07 4130 7700 by Friday 19 Feb for catering CONTACTS Feel free to contact myself or Mark if you want to discuss anything to do with the Keep Australia Working Initiative, noting I am on the road most of the time so email is perhaps better for me. Email contact details:- phone 0412 772 307 mark.rowland@deewr.gov.au Ph 4617 8609; Mobile 0417 655 962. Regards, Jason Millward and Mark Rowland RECEIVED AND POSTED BY HENRY SAPIECHA ………………………………………………………… |