The MTA Institute is the largest private provider of automotive apprenticeships in Queensland and is currently training more than 2,300 students across all sectors of the industry.
The Institute’s model of training delivery sees its 30+ trainers work one-on-one with apprentices in the student’s own workplace – a model that ensures a much more personal learning experience but one that also means the trainers are, by necessity, spread out far and wide across Queensland.
While every trainer has years of experience both on the tools and as an educator, the MTA Institute ensures they are able to always deliver industry-leading training by providing them with the latest resources and professional development opportunities.
To accomplish this, the Institute brings the trainers together to its head office in Brisbane twice a year – once in July and again in December – to attend a series of presentations and workshops that focus on all aspects of their role, from the technical and administrative to updates on the latest regulatory requirements. The conferences are, said Marcello Riotto, Director of the MTA Institute, essential to ensure the Institute maintains its position as one of Queensland’s leading automotive training providers.
“The trainers’ conferences have many direct and indirect benefits,” said Marcello. “They allow us to engage face-to-face as a united group to ensure we are delivering a consistent service throughout the state; they enable us to build a positive organisational culture as many of our trainers are located in regional and remote areas; and they fulfill our regulatory professional development requirements to ensure trainers are constantly being developed in a technical and teaching sense. Additionally, they allow us, as a group, to exchange views and everyone is encouraged to express themselves.”
The two annual trainers’ conferences are split to focus on different areas of professional development, with the July gathering centring on areas such as administrative and regulatory work, assessment strategies and the review of new learning and assessment material and resources while, in December, the focus is on the technical and practical aspects of training.
At the July trainers’ conference, along with the regular agenda items, two new professional development items – Trainer Welfare and Cultural Awareness – were on the schedule.
“While the emphasis of the trainers’ conferences has always been, and will continue to be, on technical and Vocational Education and Training (VET) professional development, as an employer we’ve added a new dimension to ensure we support trainers welfare,” said Marcello. “We are conscious of some of the daily challenges trainers are confronted with and we want to support them. As for Cultural Awareness, MTA Queensland has recently been granted a State Government contract – Workforce Connect – to connect migrant workers to industry and we recognise that it is wise to engage with our trainers on this issue as they see a multitude of migrant workers – both apprentices and employers. Having these skills will assist them in their day-to-day activities.”
While the July conference centred on the administrative and ‘soft’ skills that a trainer requires, the technical focus of the December conference will see some exciting new technology added to the professional development agenda, including new virtual reality training systems. Such cutting-edge technology that can be adapted to use for training purposes is just one of the reasons the MTA Institute trainers’ conferences are so important.
“The two-day technical program for the end of the year will include Internal and external presentations that will support trainers in enhancing their already broad knowledge base, and we’re also actively investigating supplementary training tools to support learners such as Virtual Reality (VR) platforms and distance/remote capability,” said Marcello. “Implementation of VR or online/remote platforms would require educating our trainers so they can take advantage of these supplementary training aids.
“The trainer conferences are very important,” he added. “They ensure the trainers get a chance to gather and network, they help with team building, and, more importantly perhaps, ensure that MTA Institute’s trainers are always up to date with everything they need to know to offer the best service to apprentices and their employers.”
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (August 2023)
17 August 2023
