QAL announced the winners of its 2024 Apprentice and Trainee of the Year Awards at a celebratory ceremony last week.
The much-anticipated annual awards ceremony is an opportunity to honour the exceptional achievements of our top performing, mechanical and electrical/instrumentation apprentice and process trainee, acknowledging their remarkable dedication throughout their qualification, presented by the QAL Learning & Development team alongside special guest, Gladstone Regional Councillor, Michelle Wagner.
Operations Learning & Development Coordinator, Matthew Stewart, said the calibre of the apprentice and trainee cohort was outstanding.
“This year alone, QAL welcomed 36 new trainees into the organisation, bringing the total number of program graduates to 215 over the refinery’s history, while more than 845 apprentices have successfully completed their training,” Matthew said.
QAL General Manager, Trent Scherer, was proud to announce the award winners for 2024:
• Mechanical Apprentice of the Year, Lainey Goss;
• Electrical/Instrumentation Apprentice of the Year, Connor Dromgoole, and;
• Trainee of the Year, Matt Green.
Mechanical Apprentice of the Year, Lainey Goss, completed her apprenticeship with stellar drive and was inspired to pursue her trade after extensive work experience, where she developed a passion for hands-on learning.
“I learn best through the hands-on aspects of my work and enjoy rebuilding components,” Lainey said.
“I worked in the digestion area, completing general maintenance on steam slurry pumps. I got to strip them back and rebuild them, which allowed me to learn how the pumps operate and move, as well as how to fix them.”
Lainey received her award after demonstrating exceptional dedication to her work, while presenting leadership and maturity when guiding her peers. She looks forward to continuing work in her trade for her future.
Electrical/Instrumentation Apprentice of the Year, Connor Dromgoole, was recognised for his flexible approach to working across various sections of the plant while making significant contributions as a team member to tackle challenges.
“I enjoyed completing the dual trade which gives so many options in the future, meaning I can branch out into something more specific,” Connor said.
“I’ve been involved in a few big turnaround tasks across different sections, where my experience has been recognised – that was good and I felt valued.”
Process Trainee of the Year, Matt Green, was recognised for initiating invaluable changes to team safety briefings, improving area resources and presenting an impressive level of reliability and a positive attitude among his team. His commitment to improvement has resulted in section-wide benefits and, upon graduating, Matt has taken a role in Digestion as a full-time employee.
As part of the ceremony, first year apprentices were formally welcomed to QAL, with new apprentices gifted a new, fully equipped toolbox and study texts as part of their welcome to the organisation. Our newly qualified trainees received their Certificate III in Process Plant Operations, celebrating the completion of their two-year traineeship, where they learned the nuances of critical day-to-day tasks to operate our refinery under the guidance of experienced mentors.
QAL’s longstanding apprenticeship program is highly regarded and offers hands-on, on-the-job training, along with nationally-recognised formal qualifications from QAL.
Mr Stewart congratulated the award winners on their display of leadership within the organisation and acknowledged the promising future ahead for the students currently completing their program.
“The qualifications our graduates have earned will open doors to endless possibilities for their careers, and many will evolve into skilled mentors for others in the years to come,” he said.
