News
Kickstart bonus extended until 30 APRIL
13-Mar-2013The federal government has announced an extension of its $57.5 million Kickstart Initiative. Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research, Chris Bowen MP, says the two-month extension of the intiative means that employers in the building, construction and engineering trades..
Kickstart initiative expanded
31-Jan-2013Engineering trades now eligible! The federal government has announced an expansion of its $57.5 million Kickstart Initiative. The Kickstart initiative was initially aimed at construction related trades however Skills Minister Chris Evans this week announced 9 additional key engineering trad..
Looking for an apprenticeship?
18-Dec-2012If you’re leaving school and looking for an apprenticeship or traineeship, here are a few hints from VERTO about how to stand out from the crowd: Do your homework: Once you’ve decided what industry you want to do an apprenticeship or traineeship in, make a list of all the bus..
Meadow Flat makeover
13-Dec-2012The Meadow Flat Hall (near Lithgow) has a new lease of life thanks to a volunteer project by a group of jobseekers with disability. The ‘DES UnLtd’ team, made up of clients of VERTO’s Disability Employment Service spent a week preparing and painting the interior and landsc..
VERTO Awards for Excellence winners announced
29-Nov-2012More than 150 staff member from across New South Wales descended upon Charles Sturt University in Bathurst this week for the annual VERTO Staff Conference and Awards. The conference brought together staff from VERTO's recruitment, training, apprenticeships and community support services as w..
Community Colleges 'vital'
15-Nov-2012The federal government has today acknowledged the value of Community Colleges and learning centres like VERTO, calling them "cruicial to the Australian Government's national training reforms and a vital part of many local communities." Addressing the 2012 Community Colleges Australi..
Counting the cost of bullying
14-Nov-2012Workplace bullying has once again hit the headlines with a report revealing bullying is rife in the public sector. The recently released ‘State of NSW Public Sector’ has revealed one in two public servants has witnessed bullying in the workplace and almost a third of the workforc..
Congratulations to the winners of 2012 Daroo Business Awards
05-Nov-2012VERTO congratulates Kerry Connelly of McCarron Cullinane Real Estate, Molong Branch who was named Employee of the Year at Friday night’s Daroo Business Awards. VERTO was the proud sponsor of that award, as well as the Apprentice/Trainee of the year, which was taken out by Madeleine Ro..
Phone outage in some VERTO sites
02-Nov-2012The earlier NSW wide Telstra issuemaffecting the telephones in some of our sites has been RESOLVED. Click to find a list of our Local VERTO offices (http://www.verto.org.au/ContactUs/OurLocalOffices.html). ..
Construction industry a big winner in apprenticeship reforms
22-Oct-2012Employers in the building and construction trades are the big winners in an overhaul of incentive payments in the apprenticeship system. VERTO CEO Bernadette O’Connor said the federal government has announced it will double the incentive paid to employers to take on apprentices in skil..
Access to Employment
19-Oct-2012Local employers are combating the skills shortage by growing their own skilled workforce. The Bernardi Group, which recently opened a new supermarket in Bathurst, is one of the latest companies to take advantage of the federally funded Australian Apprenticeships Access Program to find and tr..
Active solution to skills shortage
10-Sep-2012A unique collaboration between a national company, local employment provider VERTO, Bathurst Correctional Centre and TAFE NSW - South Western Sydney Institute (SWSi) is working to combat a skills shortage in the Central West. Earlier in the year Active Tree Services, a company which holds na..
The state of Apprenticeships and Traineeships
10-Sep-2012A new report by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has released its Apprentices and Trainees March quarter report. Report highlights There were 470,100 apprentices and trainees in training as at 31 March 2012, an increase of 2.4% from the previous 12 m..
Skills development the key
27-Aug-2012Businesses are being urged to get on the front foot to combat skills shortages in their industry during National skills week. “It’s a fact that Australia is experiencing a skills shortage in not just traditional trades but dozens of other occupations as well. It’s also a f..
VERTO wins in Bathurst
27-Aug-2012VERTO (formerly Central West Community College) is thrilled to have won the Carillon Business Award for Excellence in People Development. VERTO is a not for profit organisation offering a range of services including recruitment, training, apprenticeships, disability support, specialist Abor..
Jobs club returns to Bathurst
14-Aug-2012VERTO has launched a new program to help its jobseekers build on their employment preparation skills. The Jobs Club program has been developed by specialist staff from VERTO’s Employment Services and aims to assist participants who are ready to work to polish up their application a..
Homelessness in the spotlight
03-Aug-2012On the eve of National Homeless Persons Week it is estimated more than 27,000 people in New South Wales don’t have a place to call home. VERTO’s Tenancy Advice and Advocacy Program (TAAP) which provides support for residential tenants who are having rental issues, has incr..
WHS training in Bathurst and Orange
02-Aug-2012Employers can now access training for the new Work Health and Safety Act in Bathurst and Orange. The Work Health and Safety Act was introduced in January this year to replace the old OH&S laws. VERTO Regional Training Co-ordinator Wendy Dwyer says while the basics of keeping workplaces s..
The skill to transform
02-Jul-2012After almost 30 years Central West Community College has undergone a major transformation. The College, which started as a regional evening college in Bathurst in 1983, has grown into a much larger and diverse organisation with 26 offices across NSW, offering a range of services including e..
North Coast Training Award winners congratulated!
22-Jun-2012VERTO would like to congratulate the winners and finalists in the 2012 North Coast Region NSW Training Awards. Five partners of VERTO Australian Apprenticeship Centres made the finals of the prestigious awards, with two – Feros Care and Emerald Beach Plumbing Services – winning Larg..
Kissing goodbye to MS
30-May-2012Jess Sheaffe is 23 years old, works full time helping people with disability achieve their goals and loves travelling the globe with her partner. Jess is also one of more than 21,000 Australians with Multiple Sclerosis. Jess’s MS first appeared when she was 19. "I was living in China ..
Apprenticeship Incentives changing - ACT NOW!
16-May-2012The Australian Government has announced a number of changes to the Australian Apprenticeships Incentive Scheme in the 2012-13 Federal Budget. One of these changes is a reduction in incentives paid to employers for eligible existing worker trainees. Up until 30 June this year, employers c..
VERTO Apprenticeship Services expand into Sydney
30-Apr-2012VERTO has been awarded an expanded contract to deliver Australian Apprenticeships Centres (AAC) services in the Greater Sydney. VERTO, which has been providing AAC services in Western and Hunter North Coast regions since 2003 has not only retained it’s existing contracts but has been ..
Businesses embracing Wage Connect
19-Apr-2012Local employers are embracing a federal government initiative to help get long term jobseekers back into work. “Wage Connect” provides subsidies of around $5700 for businesses to employ people who have been out of work for long periods of time or who have little or no work exper..
VERTO wins national training initiative award
05-Apr-2012VERTO and TEYS Australia have been recognised for excellence at the National Meat Industry Training Advisory Council (MINTRAC) Awards. VERTO has won the Meat Industry Training Initiative Award for a program aimed at creating sustainable jobs in the meat processing industry for long ter..
More money for skills training welcome
02-Apr-2012VERTO has welcomed news of a plan by the Australian Government to increase funding for skills training. VERTO CEO Bernadette O’Connor says although full details of the Australian Government’s proposed Vocational Education and Training (VET) reforms haven’t been released, the a..
Tenants urged to know their rights in the aftermath of the NSW floods
19-Mar-2012As flood ravaged towns across the state begin their clean up operations, the South West Tenants Advice (SWTA) service is receiving concerning reports from some residential tenants. According to SWTA there has been some unethical behaviour in the aftermath of the natural disaster. “Un..
Flood update - all offices open for business
18-Mar-2012VERTO offices in flood affected parts of New South Wales have now all reopened for business. Our sites in Forbes, Condobolin and West Wyalong experienced service interruptions and closures due to the March floods. Fortunately the office escaped with no damage and it's 'business as usual' fo..
Celebrating a proud history of gender diversity
09-Mar-2012Gender diversity is nothing new for VERTO. Since it began operation in 1983 VERTO three out of its four CEOs have been female, 79% of its current workforce is female and the Board of Directors has 3 of its 6 positions filled by women. CEO Bernadette O’Connor says having women wel..
Flood alerts - may impact our Services
02-Mar-2012Please not that severe flooding occuring across NSW may impact on some of our offices and Services. We urge everyone to keep an eye on flood warnings issued by the Bureau of Meterology (http://www.bom.gov.au). ..
NOMINATE NOW for the NSW Training Awards
01-Mar-2012It’s time to shine Local apprentices, trainees and employers are being encouraged to nominate now for the NSW Training Awards. CEO of VERTO Bernadette O’Connor says the annual awards showcase the best trainees, apprentices, and vocational students in the state. “It’s..
Official launch of Western NSW training awards
01-Mar-2012Nominate now! Training providers, employers, past winners and representatives from State Training Services (STS) attended the launch of the awards in Bathurst and were urged to once again support the states peak Vocational Education and Training Awards. The awards recognise outstanding achi..
Helping young jobseekers earn or learn in Lithgow
09-Feb-2012Local job service and training providers in Lithgow have joined forces to help young jobseekers understand and meet their new Centrelink work and study requirements. The federal government has moved towards a system where young people under 21 who haven’t completed their Higher School ..
Apprenticeships a win-win
04-Feb-2012When Kraige and Jo Anderson decided to take on a new employee in their electrical contracting business, they knew an apprentice was the way to go. “We needed an extra pair of hands straight away but Kraige also has all this knowledge of his trade and we feel it’s really important..
Nominate now for Naidoc Awards
03-Feb-2012VERTO is encouraging people to nominate outstanding local aboriginal people in the 2012 National NAIDOC* Awards. The awards are part of the official National NAIDOC week activities and are chaired by the National NAIDOC Committee. Aboriginal Services Co-ordinator, Kirsten Ware says the ..
Tenancy Tips for Uni Students
03-Feb-2012Students moving into their first rental property or share house are being urged to know their rights and responsibilities as a tenant. “We get hundreds of calls every year from students, or their parents, who are having big problems with their landlord for one reason or another,&rdq..
Joe and Wade’s story from VERTO Job Services Australia, Kempsey
22-Dec-2011Wade Bull (at left) came to VERTO Kempsey office in August 2011. At his initial Stream 4 interview he said he had heard that there were jobs going in the arborist industry and he would love to gain full time work in that industry. Unfortunately, Wade didn’t have the certificates he..
