New Hydraulink Academy training facility extends Australasian leadership in safety and environmental best practice.
Hydraulic hose, fittings and service specialist Hydraulink is setting up a new ‘Hydraulink Academy’ training school aimed at equipping its hose centre staff, hydraulic field technicians and customers with top training, skills and standards of safety and environmental practice.
The Hydraulink Academy offers a range of hydraulics-focused training programs, including a number of nationally recognised units. The training – which can be tailored to suit particular requirements – is run by qualified trainers either on-site at a customer facility, or at a dedicated Hydraulink Academy venue in Australia or New Zealand.
The initiative – which applies to customers and staff of Hydraulink’s 400 service points Australia and New Zealand, as well as customers, distributors, OEMs and end-users – extends the company’s priority
on investment in its staff to ensure they have an opportunity to grow with the business, while also delivering innovative solutions and consistent standards of safety and service excellence to the advantage of customers.
“The new Hydraulink Academy training courses are a great way to ensure our staff and our customers are up to date with best practices in safety and environmental and practice processes,” said Mr Jim Thompson, Group HR Manager, Hydraulink Australia and New Zealand.
“Hydraulic technicians are often working with high pressures – in many cases 5000 PSI or more – so keeping up to date with the latest safety practices is essential not only for their own safety, but for those who will end up using the machine being worked on,” said Mr Thompson.
Nationally Recognised Skills
The Hydraulink Academy training courses involve a combination of technical, safety, environmental, communication and service skills, which have all been developedin consultation with external third party safety consultants to ensure Hydraulink staff, franchisees, distributors, OEMs and end-users are appropriately trained and competent to work in such a highly specialised field.
“The courses involve nationally recognised units of competency, which can be used by the graduate towards a later higher qualification such as a Cert II, III, IV or Diploma within the Manufacturing and Engineering Training Package,” explains Mr Julian Tullier, Group Technical Trainer – Hydraulink Australia and New Zealand. Core outcomes for graduates of the Hydraulink Academy include the ability to safely and competently identify, select, assemble, install and remove high pressure hydraulic fluid conductor components and assemblies.
Additionally, attendees are instructed on the safe shutdown of equipment, identification of hazardous energy sources and how to conduct thorough pre-work risk assessments to identify hazards to individuals and the environment and implement appropriate controls for the identified hazards.
“The potential adverse outcomes of a fluid conductor product prematurely failing in service are very serious, and can include serious injuries, permanent disability or death, loss of productivity for the equipment the fluid conductor is fitted to, additional downtime and repair costs to repair the equipment,” said Mr Tullier.
“Hydraulink’s training staff have more than 90 years’ combined industry experience, and we have invested in capital equipment for course attendees to practice on, within a controlled environment. An online training portal is provided for easy and intuitive access to relevant information,” he said.
Hydraulink is planning to run courses approximately every four weeks in Australia and New Zealand, and can readily add additional courses as demand rises.