Training makes a big difference
Joanne Nolan is a Senior Training Advisor for CPB Contractors. She spoke about how she assists our projects create a positive skills legacy while they are delivering infrastructure projects.
I’m responsible for helping CPB Contractors meet its social inclusion targets. Through the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Plan, each of our projects has targets for employment and training, including supporting social inclusion.
My job is immensely satisfying because I see so many positive things happening.
We have some refugees on our projects, and many of them have university-level qualifications earned overseas. We give them the opportunity to gain experience working on our projects which increases their confidence.
Give people respect and support and watch the positive outcomes
We had one woman who had been in Australia for three years and had not been able to land a job. She had engineering qualifications but was struggling to get a job. We gave her a start, provided her support and she excelled. She is now a fulltime employee in a role that is part engineering, part project management, and everyone working with her is singing her praises.
Spending a little time with people, giving them a bit of respect and support, and then seeing the positive outcome is just amazing.
There was another lady who had not worked for years. She was unskilled and hadn’t had a job for years. We provided her with training and personal support, and now 12 months later people rely on her every day and she loves it. It is great to see her succeed – and it was because CPB was prepared to give her a go and she took things from there.
Sharing knowledge gets good things done
I’m proud of the work I do at CPB Contractors. Very proud, because I know that we’re making a difference and creating positive changes in people’s lives.
I get a real buzz from seeing people succeed because I know then we’ve made a difference. Giving people a hand and helping them succeed is a good thing to do.
I’m a very determined person, so if I believe the opportunity is there to make a positive difference, I will go the distance to secure that positive outcome.
My first qualification was as a chef, and I think if you can excel in hospitality, you can do anything.
After running two restaurants for many years, I got into training, and I’ve lived and breathed the construction industry for the last ten years. I love it, and I love visiting projects. I’m happiest on-site in hi-vis and steel-caps.
My passion is to share knowledge because this is how we get good things done.