Patron - Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia 

24 August 2010

Governor-General launches career program for nation’s top group training apprentices

The Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, will today host Australia’s top group training apprentices and trainees who have arrived in the national capital for a week-long leadership program.

The Today’s Skills: Tomorrow’s Leaders (TSTL) program brings together 21 of Australia’s outstanding apprentices and trainees who were selected from approximately 35,000 group training apprentices and trainees.

The apprentices are employed by group training organisations and are regarded as emerging leaders in their chosen fields. They are completing apprenticeships and traineeships in industries including engineering, electrotechnology, business, hospitality, business administration, construction and water industry operations.

The TSTL program is conducted on campus at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and delivers an intense week of career development and leadership training under the expert eye of Ian Hutchinson of Life by Design. During the week, the apprentices and trainees will also visit Parliament House.

Group Training Australia CEO, Jim Barron, said the program gives apprentices the opportunity to meet like-minded peers from around the country and develop life-long leadership skills.

“These 21 talented and driven apprentices and trainees will be the leaders of the next generation of skilled tradesmen and women.

“The Today’s Skills: Tomorrow’s Leaders program allows them to channel their enthusiasm for their trade into a plan for their career, and develop the leadership skills to succeed,” Mr Barron said.

The program has been operating since 2004 and focuses on both career and leadership development. An added bonus of the week is that Australia’s top apprentices and trainees get to interact with elite athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport - learning how passion, commitment and goal achievement is applied in a variety of contexts.

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Group Training Australia is the national peak body representing the network of over 150 Group Training Organisations (GTOs) employing apprentices and trainees throughout Australia. GTA was recently awarded the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia (COSBOA) Small Business Champion Award 2010. Patron - Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia 

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Apprentices and Trainees participating in the Today’s Skills: Tomorrow’s Leaders program: