Personnel Articles , ,

PETER Warren Automotive’s NSW operations is the nation’s best trainer, recognised after beating hundreds of entrants in the federal government’s Australian Training Awards announced last week.

It is the first time an automotive business has taken off the premier award. Peter Warren NSW won the NSW Training Award’s Large Employer of the Year award for 2021 which made it eligible for the national award.

Up against Melbourne Metro Trains and SA Water, Peter Warren NSW was then crowned the nation’s best at training in vocational and education in the large employer category.

Concurrently, Peter Warren’s Queensland business, Frizelle’s, won that state’s training awards and was also eligible to go into the national awards.

Peter Warren NSW’s group training manager – since promoted to group service manager NSW – Gary Davenport told GoAutoNews Premium it was a huge acknowledgement of the work the car retailer had done in the field of apprentice and staff training.

“It also promotes training as a vital tool in encouraging new people to the industry which is particularly important in the current environment of skill shortages,” he said.

Mr Davenport created and evolved a new training program for Peter Warren Automotive called the D.R.I.V.E. Academy that started 18 months ago in answer to the fall in people joining the automotive industry.

Nationally, the academy took on 365 traineeships and apprenticeships since October 2020, including 84 first-year school leavers. Mr Davenport said there are now 45 apprentices and 20 school-based trainees enrolling for 2022 in NSW and another 35 apprentices enrolling in Queensland.

“We also have courses starting for sales staff and after Peter Warren Automotive’s purchase of the Penfolds Group in Victoria, we expect the training programs to expand into Victoria,” he said.

(L-R): After sales training manager for NSW, Haysam Alameddin (l) with group service manager NSW, Gary Davenport

Peter Warren Automotive in NSW partners with TAFE NSW for the light-vehicle apprenticeship program; with the NSW MTA for parts and auto electrician courses on-site; and with the Australian College of Commerce and Management for sales and administration courses delivered on-site via online learning and group facilitation.

Mr Davenport said, however, that it was not all about training young people.

“The D.R.I.V.E. Academy programs are for lifelong training for people aged from 15 years of age up to the early 60s,” he said.

“There’s not just young people coming in. We have service and sales managers who are studying for diplomas in business and management, for example.

“We are recognising future leaders. Training for staff at any age gives them skills to be promoted within the company which is not only in the best interests of staff and the company, but is an excellent way to retain valued staff members.”

Peter Warren Automotive began its D.R.I.V.E Academy and the relationship with the NSW TAFE as an initiative at a time when apprentice numbers were falling.

Speaking with GoAutoNews Premium in June, Mr Davenport said that training was held at TAFE’s Campbelltown campus for apprentices from Peter Warren Automotive’s Warwick Farm, North Shore and Campbelltown dealerships. This approach is a hybrid of on-site and off-site training to enable heightened productivity during training terms.

He said that the first-year apprentices study light-vehicle mechanical technology at TAFE but the program is customised to suit the needs of the dealership and its specific brands.

“The training is done by TAFE NSW but we have designed the program along similar lines to an OEM,” he said.

“This means we have three groups of apprentices who each attend TAFE classrooms in Campbelltown for five-day blocks. This is one of the benefits of our training program.

“In addition, we provide Peter Warren Automotive uniforms for the apprentices and for the 14 TAFE lecturers. This reflects the strength of our partnership between TAFE and us.”

Mr Davenport said the program is also specific for Peter Warren Automotive “in that we have tailored it to include areas such as customer service, health and safety, and compliance – areas that may not normally be tutored by an OEM because unlike a dealership, they may have less contact with the customers”.

The partnership between Peter Warren Automotive and the NSW TAFE was announced earlier this year by NSW minister for skills and tertiary education, Geoff Lee.

By Neil Dowling

Manheim
Gumtree
Manheim
Manheim
MotorOne
Gumtree
AdTorque Edge
PitcherPartners
DealerCell
Schmick