Skills Institute

Thursday, 24 January 2013 - 10:56am

Incorporating a bit of fun into a very serious matter was a key element in The Skills Institute’s training with the Emergency Response Team at Grange Resources, according to Team Leader Rodney Gale.

“We really enjoyed the training, and we learned a lot as well, which was great,” Rodney said.

“We hadn’t done this sort of training before, but we will certainly be doing more in the future.”

TSI provided training in GPS and map reading, navigation and search and locate skills as a result of a request from Grange Resources to assist in upskilling its Emergency Response Team.

Both of the TSI teachers who conducted the training have a personal interest in bushwalking and activities in remote areas, and relished the chance to formalise those skills and teach them as part of a training program.

“There’s not a lot of availability for this training in Tasmania, and we jumped at the opportunity to work on something we have a personal interest in,” teacher Nathan Cox said.

“We now have other clients looking at doing the training program, and we see a definite benefit for members of industry to undergo this training.”

The training also contributed to the success of Grange Resources at the recent statewide Mine Rescue Competitions, winning the overall competition as well as the Surface Search and Rescue section. Rodney Gale was also named Best Team Leader at the competitions.