One of the new features of the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show was ‘The Depot’, an interactive transport careers expo set up across the road from the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre highlighting a range of transport training and employment pathways.
Established 17 years ago and based in South-East Queensland, The Industry School is an independent high school for students in Years 10-12 to complete their studies but also get career-ready in their chosen industry through work placements, apprenticeships or traineeships.
It’s not uncommon for a student to graduate on a Friday and start full-time work the following Monday.
With around 1250 students enrolled across six campuses, the school currently offers construction, energy and equine academies, and was using the truck show to promote their plans to add an automotive academy to their portfolio.
Brad Pinch is the Head of Industry Initiatives at The Industry School and gave a background to their latest venture which has started to gain momentum in recent times, with the aid of the Heavy Vehicle Industry Association (HVIA).
“We’re passionate about supporting young people to complete their senior schooling while beginning their journey toward a meaningful career pathway,” Brad said.
“We’re preparing to launch an auto academy, which is why we’re building strong relationships with Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia [HVIA] and the broader transport industry. Industry engagement is essential, it takes time, but it’s what allows training pathways to emerge.
“We’ve had some great conversations with various organisations, and we’re always open to more. We never dictate to industry what it needs—we listen and collaborate.”
The HVIA has championed career development in transport industries for a number of years through a variety of career and training courses along with hosting the annual National Apprentice of the Year award, and Brad highlighted the support of the HVIA in getting wheels of the automotive academy turning.
“Todd Hacking, Michaael Rose and the team at the HVIA have been big supporters; they have seen what we do with some of the other industries. They can see value in the pathways we are trying to provide so they have been fantastic,” Brad added.
With the freight task expanding in Australia, transport and logistics is a growth industry and will require more skilled operators into the future.
Given the variety of career options that are currently available, and especially those which would benefit from a platform such as that being developed by The Industry School, Brad is keen to get more input from the transport sector.
“We rely on industry to give us the knowledge of what is needed. As we are a school there needs to be a qualification so once we get the expertise, we can build a program and look at what we can do over a three-year period.
“We would love to work closely with the transport industry- we believe that everything starts with a conversation.”
For more information about the school and the industry programs offered, go to theindustryschool.com.au.