For the 28 students, the graduation marked the completion of either a Certificate III or IV in Competitive Systems and Practices.
A number of graduation events were being held throughout the Tumbarumba site for almost 150 employees, with approximately 300 others also graduating at events being held throughout the Hyne Timber sites Australia-wide.
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said it was a pleasure to shake the hand of the graduates at a company he is very familiar with, having its head office in his own electorate of Wide Bay, Queensland.
“The Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack, and I have had an insightful morning at the Tumbarumba Mill, meeting a number of employees,” Mr Truss said.
“Only recently, I visited the Hyne Timber Tuan Mill which, along with its head office and engineered timber plant, is in my own electorate. It’s particularly interesting for me to visit Tumbarumba again to gain a better understanding of the scale of Hyne Timber’s operations,” Mr Truss said.
He went on to acknowledge that seeing Hyne Timbers recently completed training in Competitive Systems and Practices put into practice throughout the Mill explains why the company needed all employees to undergo the same training at the same time.
“Training for efficient and safe operations is critical to retain competitive Australian manufacturing, particularly in regional areas such as Tumbarumba where the Mill is clearly the largest employer,” Mr Truss added.
The training program at Hyne Timber is partially Government funded through both Commonwealth Incentives and the National Workforce Development Fund.
Hyne Timber requires all existing and new employees to undertake the national qualifications and employs a number of dedicated facilitators throughout its sites to ensure ongoing training and system implementation continues in a consistent way.
