April 2016, marks Pertrain’s 35th anniversary and my 25th year with the company. During this time I have had some incredible experiences and been involved with some very talented people.
So I thought I would share some of these experiences and acknowledge those people who helped shape this company and the type of Director that I am – my mentors.
My first and most influential mentor was my father, Barry. He started Pertrain (then known as Performance Training Pty Limited). He showed me the meaning of quality; the importance of making sure the job is done right, and commitment to the job. His standards were high and our products have always reflected this.
One of my favourite memories was working with Barry on a project in Freeport Indonesia in 1995. This mine was adjacent to a glacier 4,884 metres above sea level. We created a html training site with videos on how to maintain mobile equipment. This was one of the very first html training tools. We also developed and translated a series of cartoon-based operator manuals to help overcome the language and literacy issues in the workforce.
Another two role models for me were George Tremlett, and Phil Stuart of QMITAB. In 1997, I was privileged to be involved in the creation and ongoing maintenance of the first Queensland Mining Generic Induction Package. This induction was a huge success and ran for over 12 years with over 300,000 students participating in the course. The reason for this success was the quality of the material and the ongoing commitment and support from George, Phil and the team.
I have met a few culture changers in my time and Tony Peterson is one of these men. Tony and I first met in 2004 at BMA Goonyella, where we implemented one of the very first online induction training and assessment systems. This later developed into Pertrain’s Learning Management System (LMS). Tony was also involved in the creation of our Take 5 and electronic Safe Act Observation (SAO) resources. I later worked with Tony at Rosebery in Tasmania, where we created and implemented our first visitor induction kiosk, which is still running to this day – a real testament to the stability and quality that goes into our products.
Another great experience has been working with Peter Lewis. Although Peter initially started as a client working with my father, I stated working with him at LGL in 2007. I am always amazed at how Peter can see the big picture and multi-task on so many projects at once. Peter has had me working in Africa, PNG, Lihir Island and underground at Ballarat. This is where I learnt the art of mind reading, i.e. taking a simple idea from a scrap piece of paper with some pen marks scrawled on it and turning it into a work of art. I will be eternally grateful to Peter for this invaluable skill.
One of my more recent additions to the list of ‘game changers’ would be Ramsay Wells of QMRS. I swear this man never sleeps. With input from Ramsay and Jason (Pertrain’s app developer and computer programmer) I have had the opportunity to design a complete company management system. This has involved developing the look, flow and instructional design of an integrated Document Management System (DMS), Learning Management System (LMS), Members Management System (MMS) and Visitors Management System (VMS).
My brother Bryce started with Pertrain 13 years ago, and after completing his MBA in Business, worked as the General Manager of Pertrain until we split the company in 2011 to make the RTO a separate entity. Bryce has provided invaluable advice over the years to help me grow personally and professionally. His ability to identify the problem and ask the right questions has been a great benefit to both companies. It was these traits that helped Bryce to secure a contract in Norway developing site procedures. This project took the two of us to the arctic circle for eight weeks where we enjoyed 24 hour sunlight and the opportunity to create more international products.
The list would not be complete without mentioning my mother Sue and sister Lauren who have shown great courage and made valuable contributions and commitment to the company over the many years. Having people you can rely on 100% makes a big difference.
Of course there are many more experiences and projects that I could mention including working in Lae, developing 30 manuals in Spanish for a company in Peru, developing a series of remote communities cartoon manuals for Main Roads. But nothing compares to the general experience of putting together and working with a team of creative, committed and talented people throughout the years at Pertrain.
Glen Coventon
Executive Director Pertrain Pty Limited.
