Quick thinking Apprentice Brickie applies CPR, saving another tradie’s life

Kyuss Smith - Quick thinking Apprentice Brickie

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You never know when you’re going to be put to the test: To have to decide to take responsibility and be accountable in an unpredictable but clearly life-endangered situation needing fast action.

As our apprenticeships industry body, ABBTF is very proud of 17 year old, second year bricklaying apprentice Kyuss Smith, of Gary Pollack Bricklaying, Orange NSW, for stepping up and acting when he did on April 21. He saved a life through his quick thinking and speed when another tradie fell down, and as Kyuss explains was ‘fitting and frothing at the mouth and his eyes rolling back in his head’.

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HIA Calls for Skills Promotion as Construction Industry Career Choice

David Bare HIA

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HIA’s NSW Executive Director, David Bare, recently called for greater effort in promoting and developing career choices in the trades to grow the future construction skill base. In the NSW e-NEWS, Mr Bare said “The focus is too heavily weighted toward gaining a professional qualification at university with few job opportunities at the end of it. If the Government of NSW is serious about maintaining housing supply as the key weapon to fight affordability, it must also acknowledge that developing the workforce to support it is crucial.

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Great Dane of Bricklaying is Training Down Under

Jens-Peter Vestergaard Thumbnail

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Jens-Peter Vestergaard is a great example of how hard work and commitment to the opportunities presented by WorldSkills, can take a young bricklaying apprentice anywhere.

Two years ago Jens-Peter won the Danish National Bricklaying competition in Copenhagen and went on to win Silver last year in the international competition in Sao Paulo, alongside Australian Sam Spong who brought home Bronze.

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NSW Bricklaying Benefits as State Tops HIA Housing Scorecard

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HIA has last week reported that New South Wales has widened its lead over Victoria in the latest HIA Housing Scorecard report. The HIA Housing Scorecard ranks each of the eight states and territories based on the performance of their housing markets.

“The large states dominate the top rankings in the latest HIA Housing Scorecard, with NSW extending its lead in first place thanks to a remarkable performance on the detached house side,” explained HIA Senior Economist, Shane Garrett.

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What do these students have in common with Bronson Harrison?

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They are all involved in bricklayer training. Bronson, a St George Illawarra Dragon and Australian Apprenticeships Ambassador, employs two apprentice bricklayers together with his bricklayer brother Cheyne in their construction business.

It’s great to hear of a top sportsman with a plan for life beyond NRL and one prepared to share it with others. Bronson was previously also an Apprentice Mentor in the NRL’s Trade UP program.

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‘City Deals’ Investment Promises Housing Growth for NSW

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The bricklaying and building industry generally is set to benefit from an announcement late last week for a plan that will deliver more jobs and more housing as part of the first of several fund injections under the ‘City Deal for NSW’ investment partnership, between the NSW and Australian governments.

Western Sydney leads off with all cities in NSW to roll out investment plans from this partnership. The plan aims to make the state’s cities, metropolitan and regional, more liveable for the communities and businesses that they serve.

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Appreciation for Todd Farrawell’s Step-Out Training

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A group of Year 9 and 10 students at UC High School Kaleen completed a Brick & Blocklaying 3 day construction course held earlier this month, building two worm farms which will complement the School’s wide curriculum. The Step Out Program is an introductory bricklaying course conducted by the Australian Brick and Block Training Foundation (ABBTF) designed to open the eyes of students to the trade and the construction industry, to consider the possibility of obtaining qualifications and employment in the industry in the future.

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Koli Fisiikaile takes out the Bricklaying CITC Outstanding Apprentice Award

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ABBTF congratulates now qualified Koli Fisiikaile, who was the well-deserved winner of the 2016 Outstanding Apprentice in Bricklaying in the ACT for 2016. The announcement was made at the ACT Regional Building and Construction Industry Training Council (CITC), 14th Outstanding Graduating Apprentice and Industry Encouragement Awards. This important annual construction industry award night was held at Thoroughbred Park, Lyneham on Friday 19 August.

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Overdue but Appreciated: Apprentice Training Support Rise

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Before July 1 this year, a NSW apprentice needing to travel more than 120 km a day for training received a $28 p/night accommodation subsidy and a 12c p/km fuel subsidy. This was the prospect facing any young country-based aspiring apprentice unable to access training inside 120km of his or her home.

Well, I’m delighted to be blogging the recent decision of the NSW Department of Industry to double the accommodation allowance – last revised 9 years ago – and the decision to nearly triple the fuel allowance, which hadn’t changed in 15 years! NSW Deputy Premier Troy Grant said this would particularly benefit regional NSW where trainees and apprentices face long travel distances

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NSW Bricklaying Industry Helps Middle Eastern Refugees Start a New Life in Australia

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Key players in the bricklaying industry in NSW have recently joined forces to provide bricklayer apprenticeship training for Middle-Eastern refugees to help them start a new life in Sydney. The program is a united effort from ABBTF the bricklaying apprenticeships peak body, together with Australia’s largest brick maker Austral Bricks and Settlement Services International (SSI), a not-for-profit humanitarian organisation helping refugees resettle in Australia.

The focus of the project is ABBTF’s introductory training course in bricklaying, known as the Work Ready Program (WRP) which in this case was held at Granville TAFE in the heart of western Sydney. Importantly, by helping prospective apprentices to be ‘work-ready’ before they start the Apprenticeship, it is also helping to introduce candidates who are a good fit for bricklaying.

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