OREANDA-NEWS. On 28 July 2008 was announced, that Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) was recognised for its commitment to training on Saturday night as the recipient of Large Employer Award at the 2008 Central Queensland Training Awards Regional Final. Having won the regional division, QAL will now contest the same category at state level at a gala awards night in Brisbane in September. QAL Managing Director Mr Johann van Zyl said QAL recognises that employees are the competitive difference between organisations and as such is continuously investing resources in projects that improve employee training and development processes.

“QAL is committed to ongoing improvement and is more acceptable to change than ever before. Employees are aware of the importance of keeping up with best practice and they understand that in order to achieve this, ongoing training must take place site wide,” Mr van Zyl said. “All QAL training programs are developed, implemented and focused around the site threshold priorities to do it Safer, Cleaner, Better and in fact, more than 100 formal training courses were offered last year across the plant with outcomes directly linked to legislative requirements and organisational needs. All on-site training has been developed and implemented by QAL employees. However, at the same time, we have the ability to scrutinize the systems and practices employed by our owners for research and benchmarking best practice.

“QAL’s focus on the provision of training to our employees has led to a greater commitment to safety, cost control and flexibility within the organisation and the increased skill levels at QAL has enabled work to progress safer and smoother.”

Mr van Zyl also commented on the refinery’s future goals in providing further training in the areas of safety and supervisory skills programs. QAL’s comprehensive training programs have assisted in creating a sense of project ownership for employees by involving them in decision making processes which affect them, leading to more fulfilling and rewarding jobs. The Queensland Training Awards recognise and reward the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations within the vocational education and training sector who strive for excellence, best practice and innovation. Now in their 47th year, the Awards continue to showcase and highlight the significant contribution made by Queensland’s vocational education and training sector to the wider Queensland community and economy. This award follows on from last year’s win in the same category. QAL was awarded Large Employer of the Year at the Queensland Training Awards State Finals in 2005.