Earlier this month, industry leaders gathered to celebrate the 60 graduates who had completed one of six courses run in Western Australia’s Goldfields region.
They are the latest to complete the Western Roads Federation’s (WRF) heavy vehicle driver training course.
“We are excited to see our new graduates embark on their journeys in the transport industry,” said Western Roads Federation CEO Cam Dumesny. “Their hard work and commitment are truly commendable, and we are confident they will make significant contributions to our industry.”
Of the 60 newly trained drivers in the Goldfields, 11 were Indigenous drivers supported by the Waalitj Foundation, which works to lead the provision of education, employment and business opportunities for First Nations people.
At the celebratory event held on Thursday May 1, in honour of the new graduates, previous graduate Kelli-Leigh Edmonds shared her love for the industry and the opportunities it’s given her.
Kelli-Leigh graduated from the course in June 2024, which led to employment in the field. She is now taking up a new role in Karratha, where she will be further trained and mentored into bulk haulage.
WRF’s heavy vehicle driver training course was started in Perth in 2024, before being expanded into several regions across the state. To date, the course has been run in areas that include Merredin, Mt Magnet, Broome, Karratha, Port Hedland, Geraldton, Albany, Katanning, Esperance, and now the Goldfields.
To date, more than 1300 people have been through this heavy vehicle driver training course – with females accounting for over 30 per cent of graduates, and 8 per cent of graduates being Indigenous.
Neil Savage, who manages the WRF course, told Big Rigs that graduates are having a very high success rate for employment. “Over 1100 course graduates have been employed after completing the program. Employers are seeing the benefits of the course across the mining, transport and logistics industries.”
The course includes a mixture of theory and practical training and has been very well received by numerous major transport operators, with many offering jobs to graduates.
“Our recent event had over 50 people attend, including 12 of the recent graduates. By the time they left, most either had interviews lined up for the next day or had secured employment,” Neil revealed.
The next series of WRF heavy vehicle driver training courses will be held in Albany, from June.