All welcome at The Old Butter Factory Café, Doepel St, Bellingen.

The Chamber is proud to bring you these 2 Important presentations!

Is Your Business FloodSafe?
Be wise, Be clever and Be Prepared!

Does your business know what to do if flooding is  predicted?

Flooding causes an average of $128 million damage in NSW each year.

A business in the Bellingen area is more likely to suffer damage from a flood than a fire.

At this business breakfast you will hear from Bellingen SES and Bellingen Shire Council about the impact of local floods, the role of SES during floods, and what steps your business can take to be better prepared. At the end of the session you can take a free copy of the SES Business FloodSafe Toolkit.

Don’t be a victim of Crime – Prevention is better than cure!!

Inspector Brendan Gorman from the Coffs Clarence Local Area Command will be talking to business owners about crime prevention. He will be passing on tips and strategies to minimise the risk to your business of crime. Inspector Gorman joined the police in 1990, graduating in 1991. He has spent most of his working life policing in Western Sydney until his promotion to Inspector with Coffs/Clarence LAC in December 2011.

Everyone welcome for breakfast and networking!

Bookings essential by midday Wed 30^th May Registration 7am for 7.30 start.

Chamber members and their guests – $20,   Non members – $25.   Please pay on the day.

RSVP to Andrew – coordinator@bellingenchamber.com.au

Ph 0447 647 828 or web – www.bellingenchamber.com.au

Get the flyer and tell your friends

business, how the process can be undertaken and who is available to support the

process is critical, especially in times of great economic change and uncertainty.

INNOVATION! WHY? HOW? WHO? is a forum presenting the opportunities, process and

networks available to businesses which adopt research, development and innovation as a

potential business growth strategy hosted by Manufacture Coffs Coast Inc.

To be held at Bonville Golf Resort Thursday 24th May from 3:30pm, this is a rare

opportunity to meet a targeted network of professionals and organisations which work with

businesses of all sizes to bring about innovation in the areas of business strategy,

product development and intellectual property. Learn not only what Federal Government

grants, services and tax incentives are available from AusIndustry and Enterprise

Connect, but how to apply and what you can claim. You may be able to claim some

current business activities under the R&D Tax Incentive, don’t miss out!

Read all about it

Read Newsletter

See pdf Courier Sun article Crisis assistance for Bellingen Youth Orchestra acquiring demountables from Bello Hospital 31032012-4

or jpg below

The photography courses will be held in the Bellingen Shire Libraries see pdf ABC Open Summer School Flyer BSC

The Social Media course will be held in the Bellingen Library and if  successful will run it the other centre’s at a later date. See pdf ABC Open Summer school SM BSC

University main round offers out today: Apprenticeships and traineeships are a great alternative to Uni

NSW’s largest provider of apprenticeships and traineeships, Australian Business Limited (ABL) Apprenticeships Centre, said that young people who didn’t get into their preferred university course tonight or were having second thoughts about university should consider the multitude of apprenticeships and traineeships on offer.

Main Round Offers for university courses will be released at 9pm tonight by the Universities Admission Centre (UAC).

“There are a huge number of career opportunities available that don’t require spending three or more years at university. An apprenticeship or a traineeship is a great way to learn new skills, develop a career path and earn an income at the same time,” said Andrew Balls, Field Operations Manager of ABL Apprenticeships Centre.

“If you are having second thoughts about whether university is the right path for you, an apprenticeship or traineeship could suit you better.

“There are more than 700 traineeships or apprenticeships available and many of them lead to further qualifications. From business services and IT to community services, transport, horticulture and traditional trades like plumbing and bricklaying, the opportunities touch every industry.

“Australia is once again facing a skills shortage in a number of industries and employers are looking to take on new trainees and apprentices to fill the shortage.

“There are great opportunities for young adults who have completed their HSC to take up a traineeship or apprenticeship – employers are looking for new recruits right now.”

Mr Balls said that ABL Apprenticeships Centre’s Skillsroad online portal, which connects young adults with jobs and traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities, was experiencing a shortfall in candidates for a variety of trade employment areas.

“The national economy is in the position of having a skills shortage in about 60 critical skills areas. For a young school leaver with plenty of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn new skills, they can set themselves up on a great career path for the future.”

Young people interested in taking up a traineeship or apprenticeship should visit www.skillsroad.com.au to find out more.

Media Contact: Chris Taylor 0419 692 236

Embargoed until Wednesday 14 December 2011

Life after the HSC: Apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities available for school leavers

NSW’s largest provider of apprenticeships and traineeships, Australian Business Limited Apprenticeships Centre (ABL Apprenticeships Centre), said that the sky was the limit for students receiving their HSC marks today and that taking up an apprenticeship or traineeship was a good way to start out on a fulfilling and exciting career path.

“Today’s HSC results marks an important milestone in the lives of our young adults as they leave school and begin to develop their career paths – paths with more options available for them than at other times in our employment history,” said Andrew Williams, General Manager of ABL Apprenticeship Centre.

“For many of the 72,000 students, who get their HSC results, today marks the start of their working lives – an apprenticeship or traineeship is a great way to start that career and begin to develop the skills that will set them up for life.

“An apprenticeship or traineeship is an opportunity to learn a qualification and earn a wage at the same time.

“Trades in building and construction, the automotive and electrical industries and manufacturing were amongst the most popular with school-leavers in 2011 and this trend is expected to continue into 2012.

“There are great opportunities for young adults who have completed their HSC to take up an apprenticeship and many employers are recruiting school leavers right now.”

Mr Williams said that there will be competition for places with many employers and he recommended that students take a pro-active approach to securing an apprenticeship. Asking family and friends if they know of any employers looking for an apprentice, utilising contacts at local sporting and community clubs and scouring the yellow pages or internet for local businesses can be a good place to start.

“For a young school leaver with plenty of enthusiasm and a willingness to learn new skills, an apprenticeship can set them on a great career path for the future.”

HSC school leavers interested in taking up an apprenticeship should visit www.skillsroad.com.au to find out more.

Media Contact: Chris Taylor 0419 692 236 or Amanda Wood 0409 050 244

17 November 2011

BUSINESS CALLS FOR COMPETITIVE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING SYSTEM TO BOOST SKILLED WORKFORCE

NSW’s peak business organisation, NSW Business Chamber, has called for a more flexible and demand-driven vocational education and training (VET) system to encourage further workforce skill development in its submission to the NSW Government’s review into the state’s VET system.

“The NSW economy would benefit from greater competition between public and private education and training providers for funding of training places. It would make the system more responsive to student demand and increase the take up of VET qualifications,” said Stephen Cartwright, CEO of the NSW Business Chamber.

“The most recent NSW Business Chamber Business Conditions Survey confirmed that two out of five (42%) employers in NSW are having difficulty securing the skilled employees they need. Employers need a VET system that can deliver the skills that are required in the workplace.

“One of the key components of a demand-driven VET system is the flexibility and responsiveness of the system as a whole. Flexibility in training delivery is essential for lowering the overall costs of training to both industry and students.

“The introduction of a student entitlement model in NSW, as has been done in Victoria, provides opportunities to achieve greater efficiency, encourage innovation, offer flexibility in course delivery, and creates the potential for further growth in the vocational education sector.

“The introduction of a student entitlement to training in Victoria has increased VET participation level by more than 44 per cent in just three years. While NSW might take a slightly different approach, the current review provides NSW with the scope to shape a robust vocational education model for NSW.”

Mr Cartwright said the introduction of competition into the VET system does not challenge TAFE but offers it a significant opportunity to advance its strengths in education and training delivery.

“TAFE is a recognisable brand and is known for quality delivery of training. By its nature and through its infrastructure, TAFE has a competitive advantage over private providers and this means it will be well placed to compete with alternative providers.”

Mr Cartwright said the international experience has long shown that the most successful reforms to vocational education are those which create and strengthen its links with tertiary study.

“There is an unfortunate tendency for vocational education to be perceived as low status and low quality. We recommend that skills reform in NSW should strengthen links between VET and higher level study. Vocational education is a valuable and legitimate path not a consolation prize, and it should be valued as such. Reform will help deliver this outcome.”

Submission available at www.nswbusinesschamber.com.au.

Media Contact: Chris Taylor 0419 692 236

Youth Leading the World (YLTW) is a 3-day Youth Environmental Leadership Congress bringing together thousands of young people in over 30 locations around the world to focus on what is happening globally and how we can make a positive difference to our world together.

See full details in pdf  yltw midnorthcoast

Chamber paper calls for comprehensive review of HSC media release