CCF gains Sydney training site

The News South Wales branch of the Civil Contractors Federation, has been allocated nearly 20ha on the Penrith Lakes gravel excavation site 50km west of Sydney, to train people for jobs in civil construction.

The site, on Old Castlereagh Road, Castlereagh, apart from ample space for operating plant, includes a new church hall to accommodate up to 48 trainees for course book work.

In a ceremony to mark the start of the training, veteran plant operator Lance Hoad, told the gathering that despite 20 years operating civil construction plant, he was surprised how much he had learned during a recent CCF Civil Train course. “I discovered aspects of the business that will benefit me greatly,” he said.

NSW CCF CEO Craig Long, told the gathering the decision of the Penrith Lakes Development Corporation to allow the CCF to use the land for training, was the culmination of six to eight years of searching for a suitable site, despite the availability of a site at Cessnock, 120km north of Sydney.

“I've been with the CCF for 12 years and increasingly I've realised that training is critical for the health of the industry. There were no recognised civil construction trades when I started; now there are 8 streams in certificate III,” he said.

Long said Kelly and Shepherd principal Brett Kelly, was instrumental in driving the establishment of the Penrith site, as was the PLDC's Peter O'Toole. “We knew we had the industry behind us in making this happen,” Long said.

CCF NSW president Glen Sherry said Civil Train was the biggest business unit in the CCF with 200 trainers available for nationally-recognised courses in operating load shifting and non load shifting equipment.

Apart from training and assessment on skid steers, excavators, loader backhoes, dozers, rollers, cranes and other plant, the site will provide training in pipe laying, surveying, road construction, concreting, reading plans, using tools, OH&S induction and traffic control and other skills.

Companies providing plant for the site include Coates, Komatsu, CJD, JK Williams (contractors), Conplant, Cat Rental, Laser Quip, Liugong, Hardie and Rocla.

More information: Lisa, Robert or Elaine, 02 9009 4000

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