As a leading civil contractor within the North Island, Camex Civil Ltd specialises in large-scale earthworks, civil site works, 3-Waters infrastructure, process plant upgrades and subdivisions.
Since its establishment in 1998, the company has developed a strong reputation for quality services. The workmanship is on-time and delivered in an enjoyable atmosphere by a family-orientated team.
The team presently consists of approximately 150 directly employed staff, in addition to the number of labour-hire and subcontractors who also regularly engage with its works. At Camex Civil, they strongly believe in a culture of teamwork, with staff being one of the main reasons for their ongoing success over the last 24 years.
We caught up with Mariska Senekal, Camex’s HR & Process Coordinator to get the inside story on Get Ripped!, a literacy and numeracy programme we recently developed for Camex.
Camex Get Ripped graduation [December 2019] – Linda Newton, Julia Bruce-Mayne, Sonny Ehu and Ross Brewer
What motivated you to engage in workplace communication training?
At Camex, our team is our most important asset. It is about individual skill sets and the culture we build through our daily actions and communication. We realised that some of our staff did not have the confidence to bring their ideas forward. They were often reluctant to complete documentation because they were uncomfortable with their literacy skills.
We wanted to help our staff overcome these challenges, to empower them in their roles. Not just for business success but for their own professional and personal development. For that reason, we engaged with Upskills to create a programme specific to the needs of our team.
What benefits have you seen from an organisational point of view?
Throughout the course, we have seen significant development in the confidence of the participants to step forward and contribute their ideas. This benefit has gone beyond the boundaries of the course, as the participants go forward to encourage others with the skills they have learned.
What’s been the most surprising benefit of rolling out the training?
To see the participants so motivated and interested in contributing to continuous improvement initiatives. The calibre of the ideas put forward through the course has already added significant value. We are delighted to have more of their involvement in improvement initiatives going forwards.
What are people across the business saying?
While it is always a challenge to have a valued team member off-site, our team cannot deny the benefit the course has had. The course has held great value and benefit to the personal and professional development of the participants.
What do you hope will be the legacy of this training programme?
We hope to implement the ideas and learnings achieved through the programme and maintain them in future operations. We see the potential for continued momentum and growth through the empowerment and engagement of these staff in multiple levels of the business.
What has made the programme successful?
A key factor has been the tutor’s engaging and positive approach to the participants’ learning. Her encouragement of team collaboration and integration of work-related applications have allowed the programme to become more than a theoretical exercise. It went beyond the classroom walls to form real and valued skills.
![Camex Get Ripped graduation [December 2019]](https://www.upskills.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2020-12-11-16.23.40.jpg)
Camex Get Ripped graduation [December 2019] – Linda Newton, Wayne Clark, Mark Kingi and Julia Bruce-Mayne
