NISSMAP, an innovative automotive skills partnership program co-developed between Nissan Australia and WPC Group, was recently announced as the winner of the “Australian Apprenticeships Employer Award” at the 2016 Australian Training Awards.
NISSMAP, short for Nissan Mentored Apprenticeship Program, offers a competency-based accelerated apprenticeship qualification which can be completed in 2.8 years (most automotive apprenticeships are completed in four years).
It is delivered in state-of-the-art TAFE (Technical and Further Education) facilities across Australia in conjunction with the Nissan Learning Academy. NISSMAP is a partnership between Nissan Australia and WPC Group, a not-for-profit group training organisation (GTO) that places Automotive Technician Apprenticeships throughout Australia.
“This is excellent recognition for an innovative, effective and much-needed industry training program,” Richard Emery, Nissan Australia’s Managing Director and CEO. “The need to develop the next generation of automotive technical staff is widely acknowledged as one of our industry’s biggest challenges and NISSMAP is producing skilled and motivated Nissan technicians not only for our national dealership network but our wider industry.”
WPC Group General Manager, Andrew Sezonov said: “We are delighted with the recognition and spotlight on advancing the cause of skill-based education through mentored apprenticeships.”
Before commencing training, NISSMAP apprentices are matched with a dedicated one-on-one mentor from WPC Group. With deep industry experience and counseling skills, these mentors have had the strongest influence in determining the program’s success for both the apprentices and participating dealers in Nissan’s Australian dealer network.
When determining NISSMAP as the recipient of this important accolade, the Australian Training Awards Judging Panel based their decision on factors such as leadership in vocational education and collaboration with stakeholders.
