The government of Victoria has helped a Sunshine West engine repair business create highly-skilled jobs for former automotive workers.
Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan met workers at Cornell Diesel and toured the company’s new state-of-the-art servicing facility.
“We know Melbourne’s west has been hit hard by the end of local car manufacturing, and these communities need certainty,” said Noonan.
According to the press statement by the Victoria Government, Cornell last year received a grant from the Labor Government’s Local Industry Fund for Transition (LIFT) program to build a new 4,000 sqm workshop.
The Government’s LIFT program offers grants of up to $2 million to support business expansion in areas hardest hit by the closure of local car manufacturing. So far, in Melbourne’s west, LIFT has supported 11 projects that are expected to create 334 new jobs.
Now up and running, the facility is helping the company meet growing demand for specialist repair services for diesel-powered vehicles. Cornell is said to be recruiting 35 new staff with the majority of positions suitable for former auto workers. Four ex-automotive workers have already commenced work.
The company is a service agent for major manufacturers including Bosch, Denso, Delphi, Siemens VDO and Yanmar. Cornell also repairs diesel engines for CDC Victoria – a bus company servicing communities in Sunshine, Altona and Werribee.