Cover It adopts FOLS

18 May 2017

Cover It Pty Ltd is the first harvesting contracting business in northern NSW that will move all operators over to the FOLS Skills Verification Program. FOLS is a national industry-led program, managed by ForestWorks. Source: Timberbiz

Cover It Pty Ltd is one of 18 NSW harvesting companies who have made the commitment to adopt FOLS, following a Forestry Corporation of NSW initiative.

In February this year, Forestry Corporation of NSW, in their northern hardwood forests around Coffs Harbour, Wauchope and Grafton, asked its contractors to move all operators on to FOLS.

Boyd Young, Owner of Cover It Pty Ltd, said moving their operators over to FOLS has been a smooth process.

“It is going to be so easy to manage our employee credentials and training records now, as everything is housed in one place,” he said.

“FOLS will be a useful tool for new employees especially, providing a simpler process for locating and filing people’s training records and determining the currency of peoples’ skills.”

Diana Lloyd, General Manager of ForestWorks, said a new online system and mobile app for FOLS is only weeks away, and will provide further benefits to businesses looking for an easy way manage the skills of employees.

“With the new FOLS app, you will be able to access and demonstrate your portfolio of skills anytime and anywhere, so long as you have a mobile device on you,” she said.

A summary of each operator’s FOLS endorsements will be utilised by Forestry Corporation of NSW to identify training gaps and a plan will be developed to address these.

Forestry Corporation NSW will be reimbursing operators for a third of the cost of the three year FOLS once it is issued.

Forestry Corporation’s Harvest and Haulage Contractor and Procurement Manager, Mark Hitchins said he expected the new system to make life easier for both Forestry Corporation and contractors.

“We require all operators working in state forests to have certain skills and accreditations and we see FOLS as a one stop shop. FOLS allows us to quickly and easily confirm that our contractors and their staff have the necessary competencies and identify gaps where training is required,” he said.

“Our contractors do a great job in maintaining high levels of skills and accreditation and the good news for our contractors is that they can also use this national program to swiftly verify the skills and training needs of new and existing staff, so it’s a real win-win.”

The other contracting businesses in the process of moving their operators to FOLS are: