Australian Skills Training (AST)
Winner, Education Award 

Australian Skills Training (AST) is a privately owned registered training organisation that exports technical skills and industry specific know-how through the delivery of certified and non-certified training courses and provision of on-site technical advisers.

Its core business is in the development and delivery of Industrial and Technical Skills Training aimed at individuals and companies involved in major resource and infrastructure development projects and legislative and regulatory compliance programs.

AST has established overseas offices and appointed representatives in Indonesia and Singapore and invested heavily in information technology systems and offshore training equipment such as cranes and vehicles. The company delivers training throughout Australia and internationally in Kazakhastan, Brazil, Qatar, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon, Mauritania, Nigeria, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam.

In addition, AST also provides low-level safety training aimed at skilled and semi-skilled workers, and provides on-site expertise to assist with the improvement of safety practices.

AST’s strong export marketing strategy, which the Australian Export Award judges praised, is focused on developing a reputation for quality training and service. The company has identified a niche market and established a competitive advantage by modifying programs to suit customer needs: by varying the educational levels, language skills and cultural differences.

AST draws on a pool of skilled and highly competent trainers for its projects. Trainers are selected based on their qualifications, previous experience in the construction industry and their awareness of cultural issues and protocols in the target country.

AST’s strong export marketing strategy is focused on developing a reputation for quality training and service