Client Q&A: Murray Mallee Training Company

In the first of our Client Q&A series, we speak with Geoff Carson, CEO of Murray Mallee Training Company, an innovative group training company which operates six offices throughout the Murray Mallee region. Geoff discusses the major challenges in the training industry, the impact of technology and the changing expectations and values of a younger generation.

How did Murray Mallee Training Company start out?

MMTC Ltd was originally a branch office of Mildura based SMGT set up in Swan Hill by SMGT and local partners including local government, employer representatives and other community representatives.  This was in 1985 and in 1988 MMTC Ltd separated from SMGT and became its own entity based in Swan Hill and Kerang.

What major changes have you seen in the industry over the years?

In earlier years there seemed to be a greater value placed on apprenticeships by employers.  There was a real willingness to support apprentices through their training and there was often a great co-operation within an industry to allow for the rotation of apprentices in response to work shortages or other issues (this is what Group Training was all about).

Employers have become far more “business conscious” with less emphasis on the emotion about a trade career and more focus on the pure economics of affordability and productivity.

One real change has been the way young people go about gaining an apprenticeship.  Many years ago we would receive resumes and personal contact from a large number of young people and parents wanting to put their name down for a job.

We now advertise vacancies we have and often struggle to attract suitable applicants or in some cases any applicants at all.  It is rare for someone to walk in off the street and want to know how they might go about securing an apprenticeship.

What are some of the major challenges your business has faced?

The ever increasing impost of red tape and compliance with an ever increasing complexity of rules and regulations is a real challenge. I can remember when signing up an apprentice consisted of a half page document.  Now a signup requires a raft of paperwork in order to satisfy things such as OH&S, WorkCover, superannuation, legal agreements with employers, trade school requirements, plus much more.  All of these things have increased our costs in providing our service but it has become increasingly difficult to pass on these costs to customers.

How as technology impacted the way you deliver services?

Technology allows us to deal with customers across Australia as though they were locally based.  Things such as payroll, finance and information sharing can be done with ease compared to the old paper based manual systems.  The downside seems to be that the more technology we have the more complex each process has become. We seem to create more paper because we can.  At times there doesn’t seem to be an increase in value from some of this.

What do you find most rewarding about the service your organisation offers?

There is no doubt that seeing a young person with no real work or life skills start an apprenticeship and come out the other side as competent tradesperson with a secure future in front of them.   We have been doing this long enough to now have those original apprentices now employing and training their own.

Have workers/apprentices expectations of the workplace changed over time?

I think it is fair to say there has been a huge shift in expectations from employees.  There used to be a real appreciation of being given an opportunity to have a job and make a career.  Whilst this still exists people are now very savvy about their rights and entitlements and have no hesitation in exerting these rights.  There is nothing wrong with people expecting to be paid and treated properly however I think it is fair to say there has been a real shift in the balance of this.

What are the next major plans for your organisation?

We have a very solid business and do not necessarily see significant growth as a priority.  We intend to focus on improving what we already have. Improving our service delivery and conducting more of a micro analysis of our costs and income generating activities will, we believe, provide significant increases in profitability.  We will also be more likely to remain compliant with the myriad of rules and regulations that are part of our contracts.  Non-compliance is a major risk for our business.

What role does your organisation play in the local community?

We provide a range of local sponsorships and in kind supports to local organisations.  Probably the most significant thing that we do is the provision of job opportunities that help keep our young people in the local area and develop the skills base for our local area that is so important for economic development.

How does PPT assist your organisation on an ongoing basis?

PPT helps us dot our I’s and cross our T’s.  The work that PPT does allows us to get on with running our business without being caught up in issues such as managing our GST, FBT, complying with ATO, ACNC requirements.

We are able to discuss our ideas and have PPT provide opinions on financial viability and importantly by point out some of the red tape areas that we may not have considered.   PPT has also been able to link us with other professional organisations that have helped us with other business related matters.  We see the PPT Team as our partners in running our business.

To discuss your training requirements in the Murray Mallee region call MMTC on (03) 5033 1216.

DISCLAIMER: The material and contents provided in this publication are informative in nature only.  It is not intended to be advice and you should not act specifically on the basis of this information alone.  If expert assistance is required, professional advice should be obtained.