Industry Collaboration Award
Sponsored by
Apollo Fabrication Group & Educational Living
Steel Fabrication Training Opportunities Program
-
The Steel Fabrication Training Opportunities Program is building careers, strengthening workforce capability and supporting growth and resilience in regional NSW manufacturing.
Delivered onsite at Apollo Fabrication Group’s facility in Young, NSW, the program brings together Apollo’s expertise in large-scale structural steel production with Educational Living’s 35+ years’ experience delivering nationally recognised engineering and manufacturing training.
Together, they have created a strategic workforce development initiative designed for the realities of regional, advanced manufacturing, delivered in-region, embedded in production and aligned to project workflows.
With 40% of Apollo’s workforce participation, and training embedded in the workplace culture, the program is creating pathways from entry-level training to trade, post-trade and leadership roles.
It is helping Apollo respond to regional recruitment challenges, develop the next generation of master steel craftspeople and compete in a demanding national market, demonstrating how genuine industry collaboration can strengthen a business, a sector and a regional economy.
Learning Sphere Training Solutions & Asuria
Future Foundations
-
Learning Sphere Training Solutions and Asuria collaborated to deliver Future Foundations, an innovative workforce development initiative connecting First Nations jobseekers to life-changing employment opportunities in the logistics and supply chain sector. Asuria, specialising in employment support worked alongside Learning Sphere, specialising in nationally accredited training to create an integrated pathway from employment services into and employment. Delivered in partnership with industry, the program combined nationally recognised warehousing training, cultural support, mentoring and direct employer engagement to prepare participants for real job opportunities.
The program achieved outstanding outcomes, with 12 participants transitioning into employment with major logistics employers. By embedding cultural safety, practical workplace experience and strong post-placement support, the initiative demonstrated how collaboration between employment services, training providers and industry can deliver meaningful social impact while addressing critical workforce shortages across the supply chain sector.
Zeal Futures Learning & Glencore Coal Assets Australia
Industry Led Mobile Plant Technology
-
After identifying a critical skills gap in Mobile Plant Technology trade delivery, Zeal Futures Learning and Glencore Coal Assets Australia led an innovative collaboration to redesign apprentice training in the Hunter region. Together, they created an industry-led model that integrates Mobile Plant and Auto-Electrical capability, preparing apprentices for the increasingly complex and technology-driven mining environment.
Supported by a $1.2 million co-investment in specialised equipment and diagnostic infrastructure, the partnership has achieved outstanding results, including 100% apprentice retention, a 17% increase in first-attempt competency achievement, a 14% reduction in reassessments, and 94% apprentice satisfaction. What began as a collaboration between Zeal Futures Learning and Glencore Coal Assets Australia has grown into a regional workforce development model, with employers including BHP joining the program after observing its success. This partnership is strengthening regional capability, future-proofing the workforce, and providing a blueprint for industry-led vocational education across Australia.