Sometimes it seems a bit easy, or convenient, to throw mud at the incoming generation. In reality most of us have also great stories to tell about just how switched on many of the young folks in our lives are.
For our next generation to thrive they need to have the room to express themselves and show us their perspective, and to learn for themselves what they are capable of.
That means giving them some rope – so long as they know there is someone at the other end who has got their back.
HVIA’s young leaders’ council intends to harness those qualities and give our young people the opportunity to showcase some of that initiative and talent, and unleash their potential.
The heavy vehicle industry is built on a legacy of courageous innovation; innovation that is usually the result of some daunting challenge or other, stared down with determination, resilience and some good old-fashioned initiative and ingenuity.
For our industry the good old days were not about sitting around twiddling our thumbs – our best memories are always signalled by another step forward – never resting on our laurels.
Historically the solutions were not so much technology, but more about practicality.
While plenty has changed over the decades, and the tools might have evolved, the people that thrive in this environment continue to have one thing particular in common: a can-do attitude.
We think we are pretty good at identifying those types of people.
HVIA has always been proactive in the workforce development space, with Apprentice of the Year awards, and more recently the Peter Langworthy Future Leader Award. HVIA also hosts the National Apprentice Challenge biennially, alongside the Brisbane Truck Show; we host and facilitate “schools to industry” tours, and we have a significant stake in the success of programs to bring young people into the industry such as Glenala High School’s Trade Centre in Brisbane, and the Australian Industry Trades Colleges. We are going to kick off our new young leaders’ council with a group who have already had their credentials tested by our national awards process over the last couple of years.
We aren’t going to set the agenda for the forum, but you can imagine some of the issues they might consider:
• Diversity and inclusivity – what that really means and steps our industry can take to improve;
• Sustainability – there are opportunities for every organisation to make a big difference to Australia’s carbon footprint – how do we educate them about those first steps and the benefits.
• Career pathways- does our industry do enough to foster its employees and what can they do better to ensure every industry participant has te opportunity and encouragement to reach their potential;
• Community – the heavy vehicle industry is a great supporter of numerous causes large and small. What further steps can we take to better connect our vital industry with the broader community;
• Industry policy and regulation – there are many layers to our relationship with government from the Australian design rules and standards at one end to federal government’s approach to safeguarding Australian manufacturing sovereignty at the other. What issues are important to our Young Leaders?
Their energy is infectious, so we are looking forward to sharing the progress from our Young Leaders as they set their agenda for 2023 and beyond.