CHESS Engineering, the Padstow-based general engineers, has won the NSW leg of this year’s prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Community Business Partnerships.
The award — presented yesterday (20th) by Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership member and Macquarie Bank Divisional Director, Patrick McClure at a Sydney Hilton luncheon – was made to Chess in partnership with not-for-profit community organization Canterbury Bankstown Career Connections.
It recognises the achievements of the two organisations in raising awareness in local youth of the career opportunities available in the traditional industrial trades. Over the last two years, Chess Engineering has opened the workshop doors to work experience and structured workplace learning students, community tours and the Federal Government’s Adopt a School program. All of these activities are organized by Canterbury Bankstown Career Connections with supervision, equipment, tuition and materials provided by Chess.
Accepting the Prime Minister’s Award, Steve Facer, Chess’ CEO, said: “This honour rightly belongs to the staff of both our organisations for their commitment to local youth and for their willingness to share their time, expertise and experience so that young people can make informed career decisions.
“We work in a part of Sydney where manufacturing is the major industry but we also have high levels of youth unemployment. On the one hand we face an acute skills shortage while on the other we have a large pool of young people who only need good career guidance and training to help us alleviate that shortage.
“The programs we undertake with Canterbury Bankstown Career Connections help us give something back to the local community and serve the greater good of industry at large by informing young people of the options available so that they can choose rewarding, productive careers.”
Introduced in 1999, the Prime Minister’s Awards are designed to foster corporate social responsibility and encourage a spirit of giving in the Australian business community. The Chess and Canterbury Bankstown Career Connections partnership received the State’s medium business category award and will go on to be considered for the national award.