The Australian Experiential Learning Centre was awarded the best "New Business" category award on Saturday night.
The Swan Chamber of Commerce 2008 Hanson Swan Awards were presented at a gala event at Sandalford Winery in the Swan Valley. The New Business Award, sponsored by the Small Business Development Corporation, recognised the AELC's rapid national success and our contribution to Western Australia and the Midland region in particular.
We in turn would like to thank our major corporate partners, including Curtin University of Technology, The Midland Redevelopment Authority and Rotary International as well as the many other organisations that sponsor and/or support our iniatives such as Business Icon across Australia.
Tracey Hodgkins accepting the Best New Business award with members of the AELC staff at Sandalford Winery.
The 2008 Queensland Business Icon™ competition was held in Brisbane during July.
Tasks given to the contestants included fundraising for the not-for-profit organisation Brightest Young Minds, creating a marketing plan for Brisbane City Council and designing a sustainability proposal for Maunsell.
Business Icon™ was founded by Tracey Hodgkins and is managed by the AELC for the Advantage Foundation Ltd. For the first time in the four year history of the competition, which is run in both Queensland and WA, the finalists were all female.
Finalist’s Nicole Walsh, Renee Robbie, Sarah Firth and Laura Christie were given the task of designing a theme park in the Australian Outback.
The Western Australian competition will be held in October this year. The final event at the Midland Railway workshops is shaping up to be a real spectacular with a judging panel including WA business leaders, Richard Goyder (CEO Wesfamers),
Sam Walsh (CEO Rio Tinto) and Rick Hart (Rick Hart stores).
2008 Queensland Business Icon™ finalists - from left:
Sarah Firth, Laura Christie , Renee Robbie (winner) and Nicola Walsh
Babies in the workplace, and especially in our workplace at the AELC, were talked about recently by CEO Tracey Hodgkins in her AELC Professionals blog.
Today, July 26th, the Weekend Australian has taken the story a lot further with a front page article by Julia Stirling in the Weekend Professional / CareerOne section. The article features fantastic photos of our proud AELC mums with their bubs as well as including quotes from Tracey and staff.
If you can't pick up a copy of the paper, the article with one of the photos can be read online - "Babies Share Office Space"
Tracey Hodgkins was on television last week again as part of a story on manners and etiquette
Interviewed on the ABC1 program "Stateline" in WA, Tracey presented points relative to workplace etiquette, which is currently a major issue confronting employers in Australia as the free minded Generation Y come head to head with their older counterparts.
Other areas of serious conscern emmanating from all age groups include innappropriate dress, behaviour, joking, harrassment and casual use of digital communications media such as SMS and Email.
So serious is the problem, that morale and workplace/career satisfaction are being effected to the extent that high staff turnovers are being experienced in many businesses and government departments.
Tracey Hodgkins, the CEO of the Australian Experiential Learning Centre is recognised as an expert in the field from her experience in researching workplace behaviours and providing programs that address and educate employees and employers in how to effectively deal with workplace etiquette issues and how to interact professionally in the workplace
An extract of the Stateline story featuring Tracey Hodgkins can be viewed below
An ABC film crew interviewed AELC CEO Tracey Hodgkins this morning, Tuesday 3rd June, at the University of Canberra in the ACT. The University kindly made a room available for the interview while she was there on University business.
Two weeks ago, Tracey was interviewed by the TEN network and now with the ABC, the topic is again, Workplace Etiquette.
The interview will go to air in Western Australia on the Stateline program on ABC1, this Friday 6th June at 7.30pm
Today we are adding a new blog called the The Naked Ape written by Nathan Taylor, our economics and behaviour science guru.
Nathan, the Senior Economist at the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has a life-long interest in human behaviour and how this influences social dynamics. This interest has lead him to study human behaviour as understood by economics, psychology, personality and cognitive development theory.
Nathan uses breakthroughs in behavioural economics and neurobiology to lay bare the idiosyncrasies of what it means to be human. He also uses case studies, personality theories and the study of optimal experience to expose how every individual is gifted with the abilities they need to proactively transform their own life.
How does Nathan define his philosophy? With this quote from Francis Piscabia (Italian cubist):
"One should go through life, be it red or blue, stark naked and accompanied by the music of a subtle fisherman."
Nathan's study and insights on human behaviour and it's link to economics is fascinating and highly recommended reading.
Last Friday, May 23rd, AELC CEO Tracey Hodgkins was interviewed by Kim Watkins and David Reyne on the TEN Network morning show 9am with david & kim. The show is broadcast live across Australia.
You can watch the interview below.
Thank you to the staff of Channel 10 in Perth for providing us with the video to share with you.
This year is the year of Workplace Etiquette! That seems to be the topic of the moment according to the many paper, radio and television interviews we are in lately. From a multitude of national radio interviews to the front page of CareerOne in the Weekend Australian, AELC CEO Tracey Hodgkins has been in constant demand for her input on the subject.
Next week, Friday 23rd May Tracey is appearing as the lead interview on the Network 10, 9am morning show with Kim Watkins and David Reyne.
Have a look below at what they are all talking about.
Well it had to happen! Our much loved old office building felt the bite of demolition machinery last week. Now it is just a pile of rubble being taken away by the truckload.
The demolition of our old Railway workshops building begins. Our new premises are in the background
For complete directions and a map to our new location, visit our contacts page.
The redevelopment of Midland goes on around us
These are some photos of the reclamation work in progress taken from our Boardroom windows as "The Workshops" project starts really gearing up.
The demolition of our old Railway workshops building begins. Our new premises are in the background