As part of the radio replacement program, CFA has struck up a partnership with Waverley Social Enterprises to refit and repackage over 1,600 of its bag radios.
This important partnership will help ensure that the radio rollout can be completed on time.
Waverley Social Enterprises is a certified social trader that provides employment opportunities for people with a disability. Waverley operates five business arms: assembly, catering, packaging, grounds maintenance and on-site labour.
In addition to working on CFA's radio project, Waverley also has a longstanding partnership with CFA, providing daily catering to the Bangholme training campus, in addition to other locations.
A contract like CFA’s radio replacement project, provides important and detailed work for Waverley’s employees.
“Part of what Waverley tries to do is empower and upskill our employees. So as this is a new job, there’s a range of training that comes into it,” Waverley’s Chief Commercial Officer Scott Haines explained.
CFA’s Radio Replacement Project Director Shane Peacock has worked closely with the team at Waverley to get the project up and running. It is critical work, as CFA aims to time the bag radio rollout in conjunction with the mobile and portable radios.
“The work that the staff members here at Waverley are doing is fantastic. Their attention to detail in putting these bag radios together is fantastic. There’s a lot of fiddly little bits and pieces in these bag radios to swap over. And it’s great that Waverley are able to assist with that.” Shane said.
Andrew has worked at Waverley for almost 20 years on a variety of jobs. He is in the early stages of training to carry out the CFA radio work, and is enjoying the challenge of learning new skills.
“Just learning how to use all the hand tools and learning how to do the wiring. I like to challenge myself and do stuff that I haven’t done before.” Andrew said
Assembly Production Manager Justin Roff takes pride in his role at Waverley because it enables him to showcase the talents and skills of people with a disability.
“That’s our goal here at the end of the day, and having this CFA work is extremely valuable to support that mission,” Justin said.
| Submitted by |
Alison Smirnoff |