Ostwald Bros - 2009 Employer of the Year

Ostwald Bros was named 2009 Employer of the Year for its commitment to training excellence at the regional finals of the prestigious Queensland Training Awards.

The award recognises Ostwald Bros as a top employer within the South-West Region for its commitment to providing staff training opportunities.

Ostwald Bros CEO Brendan Ostwald said as a regionally based company with the bulk of company projects in remote locations the company had adopted a policy of ‘train to retain’.

“We have built a state-of-the-art maintenance facility in Dalby where we carry out maintenance on our transport fleet and company plant and we train a number of apprentices at any one time.

“We directly employ staff trainers and work together with TAFE, local training operators and business facilitators to ensure employees have the necessary skills to complete the wide range of projects we undertake.

“Within the civil construction and transport industries safety is pivotal to business success and our rigorous induction training enables us to reach our safety and performance goals.

“Training also allows us to achieve a higher level of expertise and maximise our time efficiency.

“We believe staff members are our greatest asset and by providing consistent, quality training and mentoring we can offer real opportunities to progress within the company,” Mr Ostwald said.

At the time of the award submission Ostwald Bros was training a total of 74 apprentices across a number of areas including Certificate 111 in civil construction and various trades such as fitter and turner, diesel fitter and boiler maker.

 Within the transport division all drivers complete a Certificate 111 in Transport and Logistics while a number of office staff receive training in Front Line Management.

Ostwald Bros plant manager Peter Lovell said: “Ostwald Bros offers long-term, secure employment within a fast growing industry.

 “Our trainees have such a diverse range of equipment to work on they gain broad experience in many aspects of their chosen trade.

“And we find that through training our own staff they develop a strong sense of loyalty to the company.