Winslow is dedicated to creating opportunities for residents in the communities within which it operates, and continues to open the door for people wanting a career in the civil construction industry.

Working with our partner Prace - Adult Community Education, which conducts the Employability Skills: Civil Construction Labourer program, Winslow provides employment opportunities for people from all backgrounds living in communities that Winslow helps to create.

Last year, Sudanese refugee Felimon Asel enrolled in Prace’s Civil Construction Labourer course, codesigned with Winslow to develop employability skills for work in civil construction.

To improve his work options, Felimon also completed several English certificate courses at Prace.

His commitment was exceptional and his dedication to learning made him an outstanding role model for the class.

This was a turning point in Felimon’s life, bringing the opportunity for employment growth and fulfilment.

As a result, he was offered employment with Winslow as a traffic controller, where has since excelled.

So much so, Felimon was recently awarded the Master Builders Association of Victoria’s 2022 Victorian Learn Local Pre-Accredited Learner (Skills For work Award).

Felim on received his award at Learn Local Awards ceremony at Federation Square where Winslow, Prace and developer Mirvac were also a finalist in the Learn Local Partnership Award Category for creating the Construction Pre-employment training Program/Hub at Olivine Estate in Melbourne's north.

Felimon is a leader in his community and a strong advocate for education.

Being one of the first Sudanese people to arrive in Melbourne as a refugee, he helped many new arrivals set up life in Australia.

Dedicated to his family and community, Felimon encourages other Sudanese people to get involved in learning.

He reminds them of the importance of education as a means of obtaining stable employment to build a better life in Australia.

Sunbury disability and services support provider Distinctive Options (DO) Pathways has teamed up with the state government, Major Road Projects Victoria and construction partner Winslow to provide supported employment roles to locals with a disability.

Twelve DO Pathways supported employees are set to play a vital role in spreading the word about the Sunbury Road Upgrade by delivering construction newsletters and notices containing important information about works.

DO supported employment enterprises employs nearly 20 people, giving them a chance to hone skills, develop confidence and find new opportunities – the project’s investment in DO Pathways will help the organisation hire and train further staff with an estimated 30 new positions to be created.

So far, DO supported employment Pathways workers have spent more than 250 work hours on construction notice delivery. Peter is one of them, and said he loves the opportunity to get out and meet new people in the community.

“They appreciate it. Sometimes you talk to them, sometimes you hand it to them at the mailbox,” he said.

“I like coming to work because I like meeting good friends of mine – they’re like part of my family.”

Sunbury MP Josh Bull said the program was an “incredible experience” for participants.

“[It] will set up individuals in our community for future opportunities in the workplace and help them maintain their independence,” Mr Bull said.

The Sunbury Road Upgrade is expected to be complete in 2025.

Winslow continues to be committed to raising the awareness and understanding of the benefits of positive mental health.

We encourage our employees to actively seek help if they need it and have visible mechanisms in place to help guide and support them.

In 2018, Winslow launched Big Blue, our 36-tonne Hitachi ZX360 excavator that was painted blue to be a great conversation starter to encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out and seek support.

After four years of encouraging mental health awareness, Big Blue has just had a fresh coat of paint and will again travel around Winslow sites in Victoria to spread the word on positive mental health and how important it is to ‘Chat and Check-In’ regularly with workmates.

We empower our leaders to guide employees to find support needed as we are all there to support each other.

Our qualified Mental Health first Aiders and Mental Health Champions are site based and are dressed in TradeMutt high vis shirts to ensure they are very accessible, easy to find and a safer option for employees.

October is National Mental Health Awareness month and Big Blue remains a visual reminder to our employees to regularly check in on our colleagues.

Winslow is proud to support Ganbina, an organisation that matches Winslow’s values of encouraging the growth and development of young people.

Winslow recently found an opportunity to assist the Indigenous organisation, which helps Aboriginal youth stay engaged in mainstream education, training and employment.

In the lead up to NAIDOC Week in July, Winslow embarked on a journey with talented Indigenous artist, Jenna Oldaker, to create a signature Indigenous artwork that reflected foundations that are dear to Winslow, particularly the Winslow Family values – connection with our community and the importance of teamwork.

The result, Koling wada-ngal (Let us Walk Together), is an exceptional representation of the Winslow values, and also the deepening of Winslow’s relationships with our land’s traditional owners the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

To further showcase the artwork, Winslow designed a special edition hoodie that is based on the Jenna’s painting and was available for purchase by our employees, their families and our community partners.

Sales of the hoodie raised an impressive total of $22,610, and all proceeds were donated by Winslow employees to Ganbina.
Amelia Rizzo, Winslow’s General Counsel, said staff embraced the artwork and quickly snapped up a hoodie as soon as they went on sale.

“Our employees were thrilled with our new Indigenous artwork and the huge sales of these special edition hoodies highlights their connection to our family values and generosity in supporting the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community,” Amelia said.
Ganbina, a community-based organisation, like Winslow, also values and encourages the active support of the growth and development of young people.

Ganbina is a registered charity that has been in operation since 1997, head quartered in the Goulburn Valley in regional Victoria.
Ganbina runs Australia’s most successful Aboriginal school-to-work transition program Jobs4U2, which helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth aged from 5-25 years old stay engaged in mainstream education, training and employment.
In fact, 88 per cent of Ganbina Year 12 students complete Year 12 on average, only 1 percentage point below the non-Aboriginal rate and much higher than the Aboriginal rate of 66 per cent.

Additionally, 2 in 3 Ganbina participants transition from education to further education, training or employment.
Ganbina’s Jobs4U2 program is a 50-year pilot program, i.e. two generations, with the aim to create long-term social and economic prosperity among Australia’s Aboriginal population.

On Thursday September 1, Winslow presented Ganbina’s CEO Anthony Cavanagh with a cheque for $22,610 from the proceeds of our special edition one-off Indigenous hoodie.

Anthony said he was stunned when learning of the donation from Winslow’s employees.
“It was an unexpected – but very pleasant – surprise to get the call from Winslow informing us that we are to be the recipient of a $22,000 donation,” Anthony said.

“We are incredibly humbled to have been chosen as the charity to receive this donation, which will be invested into the delivery of our programs.”

LET US WALK TOGETHER

Koling wada-ngal (Let Us Walk Together) Artist: Jenna Oldaker Media: Acrylic on Canvas Artwork Description: This artwork illustrates family and community coming together as one, as we travel and learn together on Country. The centrepiece of this artwork symbolises community and meeting place – a place where we all come together to yarn and share stories and knowledge with one another. The classic U shapes symbolise people, whilst the concentric circles and lines in the centre illustrate journey paths and our continued connection to culture, spirits and land.

We are all connected to one another, and this is what gives us such power and unity. This is illustrated by the joining journey paths, all connecting and overlapping with one another as we walk together and pay our respects to our land and waters. The connecting lines and journey paths are also symbolic of community and family, as we all come together to help care for this beautiful Country land we call home.

Winslow has embarked on a journey with talented Indigenous artist, Jenna Oldaker, to create a signature Indigenous artwork that reflected foundations that are dear to Winslow, particularly the Winslow Family values – connection with our community and the importance of teamwork.

The result, Koling wada-ngal (Let us Walk Together), is an exceptional representation of the Winslow values, and also the deepening of Winslow’s relationships with our land’s traditional owners the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In the lead up to NAIDOC week, Jenna presented the commissioned artwork to Winslow, which will hang in our Campbellfield Office reception area.

“This artwork illustrates family and community coming together as one, as we travel and learn together on Country,” Jenna said.

“The centrepiece of this artwork symbolises community and meeting place – a place where we all come together to yarn and share stories and knowledge with one another.

“The classic U shapes symbolise people, whilst the concentric circles and lines in the centre illustrate journey paths and our continued connection to culture, spirits and land.”

Last week, we unveiled the artwork to our employees to reflect on the First Nations culture and support the celebrations of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Winslow continues to invest in innovation to ensure a safe workplace for our staff, contractors, and clients.

After 18 months of R&D in partnership with machine safety control specialists Webbair and SITECH Construction Systems, Winslow recently unveiled its pioneering 3D Utility Avoidance technology, which will be a game-changer for the industry.

“Winslow has long been leaders in the machine control technology space,” said Hugh Peck, General Manager of Winslow’s Group Services.

“With over 170 smart machines across our fleet, we continue to lead the industry.

“Through Trafman and SMS, Winslow has been able to produce a system that is unparallel in the industry.”

The 3D avoidance technology allows machine operators to dig closely and safely to existing services in complex Brownfield environments, which have been mapped out by our surveying teams.

Onboard sensors and technology restrict and then immobilise the digger whenever the bucket comes close to mapped-out avoidance zones to minimise safety risks and to prevent expensive damage and project delays.

“We control the process from start to finish. We locate the assets, we model the assets, we put them in the machine,” Hugh said.

The system delivers robust engineering controls to keep machines out of any pre-defined high-risk areas and significantly reduces risk of extremely dangerous and costly sub-surface service strikes.

“What we’ve done on this system is we’ve essentially created a digital twin of the existing site conditions, so we’ve got a digital model,” said Survey Management Solutions’ survey specialist Adam Hammet.

“We’ve used that and all our other models to create a real-world digital version of what’s in the ground.”

Operators also receive real-time updates on underground services from surveyors working remotely, which allows work to continue without needing to wait for new data.

“It just gives me the confidence that whatever’s in the ground is on the computer there in front of me. I can literally look through my files, see what I need to know for the day plan out my works, and be reassured I’m not going to do damage or hurt anybody,” said machine operator Bernie Wholey.

Allowing for the operator or supervisor to add in any new hazards or high-risk areas on the fly without requiring them to be defined digitally is potentially one of the biggest benefits of the system, which was demanded from the market at the start of the due diligence phase.

Winslow Infrastructure superintendent Jason Radley said, “it’s an industry leading machine – nobody’s done it in the past”.

“All our known services that we’ve picked up earlier on in the project we can put that into the machine, and it gives us confidence that we can dig new services without actually hitting them, which will also give the asset owners confidence when we go to do our job.”

“They (asset owners) have confidence that we’re going to stay away from their services which is going to keep people in the industry safe and allow them to concentrate on their actual job instead of coming out to fix damaged services.

“It’s going to take us into the future.”

The new fully equipped machine will be rolled out on to its first project at the Lathams Road Upgrade this month.

We are proud to introduce our new networking initiative – Women of Winslow.

Its purpose is to encourage and support our full-time female colleagues to connect with each other and the wider business and create opportunities that allow women to support each other.

The Women of Winslow focuses on:

• Building internal relationships and connections with each other;
• Increasing knowledge and awareness of the business;
• Learning from each other;
• Understanding career pathways and development opportunities; and
• Informal mentoring and increasing positive role modelling through stronger connections with likeminded colleagues.

The Women of Winslow mentoring program provides us with the opportunity to come together and to gain feedback from our female colleagues about their networking priorities.

Workshops have been designed to provide knowledge and skills to support women within the Winslow Group in their role as a mentor. 

By coming together, the women have an opportunity to connect as a network and enables them to support each other throughout the program.

A new adult education program pioneered by Winslow Constructors and Mirvac is expected to create up to 1000 local jobs in a new community in Melbourne’s rapidly growing northern suburbs.

Winslow has partnered with Mirvac and not-for-profit education provider Prace to launch the program at the 465-hectare Olivine community in Donnybrook.

The Civil Construction Labourer program is expected to create up to 1000 local jobs throughout the development of the Olivine community to deliver lifelong learning and local employment opportunities for Melbourne’s growing northern growth corridor.

The program will be launched on Monday, November 29, 2021, at Olivine with the Minister for Higher Education and Training, The Honourable Gayle Tierney MP, Winslow Managing Director Dino Strano, Mirvac Head of Residential Stuart Penklis, City of Whittlesea Administrator Peita Duncan, and Prace chief executive Paddy McVeigh, in attendance.

The Civil Construction Labourer program is part of a range of vocational and pre-employment training and TAFE pathways.

Winslow Constructors’ Executive General Manager Rohan Davidson said the company aims to “close the loop” between education and employment, providing pre-employment training for the civil construction industry and direct pathways to employment with Winslow.

“The adult learning program has been designed to ensure students receive relevant training and experience, providing the best possible opportunities for future employment in the civil construction industry,” Mr Davidson said.

“Winslow Constructors has committed to delivering up to 15 local jobs for the first intake of students and we expect this to grow, with the civil construction industry experiencing growth within the area and an existing lack of pre-qualified personnel for recruitment.”

Winslow’s Learning and Development Business Partner Caden Harte said the Civil Construction Labourer program gives those taking the course an opportunity to gain employment within the Winslow Group, or with a company in its supply chain

“There have been a range of pre-employment style programs offered for civil construction over the years, and where appropriate Winslow has supported these efforts by offering employment to suitable program graduates,” Mr Harte said.

“With Prace and the Pre-Employment Hub at Olivine, Winslow has had the unique opportunity to co-design the offering from the ground up, to help prepare workers specifically to work on Winslow sites, either as a direct hire through one of our companies or via our supply chain.

“This has resulted in a unique offering, with training aimed specifically at employability skills that are not typically taught in the white card or other industry preparation style courses.

“This same course of study also prepares students to transition naturally into the Certificate III Civil Construction, which provides a strong base for them to continue to build their careers with Winslow.”

When Winslow heard The Path of a Horse property at Trentham was closed due to damaging storms in 2021, causing over $50,000 dollars of destruction, much needed assistance was quickly offered.

Winslow subsequently committed to providing vital resources and equipment towards assisting with the clean-up costs to ensure the property is clear and safe, ready for use again.

Winslow is a strong supporter of veterans and ADF reservists, employing numerous veterans across the business. Winslow and The Path of a Horse share a common aim of supporting our veterans in making a positive transition. Winslow is a strong advocate for the work of Path of a Horse and their work is instrumental in helping recovering veterans through its wholistic approach to therapy and through its use of equine therapy. The Charity assists people of all ages and from all walks of life, who wish to seek better mental health and well-being.

“It was immediately obvious we would offer our assistance and continue supporting our veterans to ensure the Charity can restart their crucial work. Providing our people, our resources and our infrastructure equipment is what we do best. So, a natural partnership was formed to ensure their essential rebuild could happen, providing a positive start towards the reopening of such an important facility for our veterans”, said Damian Murrihy, General Manager Winslow Infrastructure.

Winslow will commence clean-up works at Trentham in July 2021.