When Mark Ellis, a warehouse operations clerk for Atlas Steels, suffered a serious leg injury that resulted from an incident at its Ingleburn Service Centre, the business vowed it wanted to prevent this type of incident from reoccurring.

"It shook the business," says Regional Director, John Pearson. "It was a terrible thing for Mark, his family and for all of our employees. You could see and feel the devastation."

Ellis was injured when he stepped back and collided with a multi-directional sideloader forklift. Atlas’s quest to enhance safety saw the business introduce a number of measures across its operations. Other

The Regency Institute of TAFE (Elizabeth Campus) in Adelaide has developed an exciting new course that will 'bridge the gap' in knowledge about the welding and fabrication of stainless steel.

Until now there have been only three fabrication and welding training modules available in Australia and they have all applied to light sheet metal. The need for a practical course to teach skills for heavier gauge stainless steel was identified by the Regency Institute of TAFE.

After close consultation with industry, the Regency Institute developed new modules that will fill this need by teaching skills appropriate for upskilling of existing

ASSDA's Stainless Steel Specialist Course has been incorporated into apprenticeship education by Australia's largest private provider of engineering training.

ASSDA member First Choice Training Group is delivering the Stainless Steel Specialist Course as part of the Standard Apprenticeship Certificate Three in Engineering Fabrication (Trade).

Principal Training Consultant, Carl Spruce said the Stainless Steel Specialist Course provided theory lacking in the stainless steel industry.

"There has been a perception that there needs to be better training in the industry and that the existing training was not appropriate," Mr Spruce said.

"Customisation for the stainless steel industry required specialised information and ASSDA

Transforming apprentices into stainless steel specialists can be a challenging but rewarding experience for employers seeking to improve quality, retain staff and increase profitability.

'Remaining Competitive and Profitable' by James Johnson, Millatec Pty Ltd

Now is the time as an owner of a small or medium enterprise to move back into the coalface and be involved in all facets of your business. As a business owner, no one spends less money, identifies opportunities to improve productivity more or reduces waste better than you.

In the current economic climate it seems especially pertinent to discuss tools that can help you remain competitive and achieve break-even or be profitable.

The four key areas are:

1. Financials
2. Human resources
3. Marketing
4. Systemisation

Controlling your finances

When it comes to

For stainless apprentices

At the beginning of 2008, ASSDA was successful in its application for funding from the Federal Government for a project focused on the integration of e-learning into industry. The funding has seen ASSDA create a Workforce Development Strategy and a Flexible Learning Delivery Pathway incorporating e-learning, with plans to develop an additional e-learning module titled Practical Skills of Surface Treatment to complement the existing Gas Tungsten Arc Welding Module.

The Workforce Development Strategy provides an industry-wide framework in which to address the workforce challenges for the stainless steel industry: skills shortages, staff retention, knowledge retention. This document