Simon Hislop joined Major Convos for his first ever podcast appearance, three months into his new role as CEO of East Coast Apprenticeships.
After more than a decade with TAFE Queensland, Simon made the jump from public training provider to the group training space.
He talks candidly about what surprised him about GTOs, why he thinks the incentive system is due for a rethink, and what he learned from doing an ultra-endurance multisport race across New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
It’s a useful listen for anyone wanting to know more about a group training organisation and how to challenge yourself to your physical limits.
Show notes with timestamps
03:37 Simon’s background: just over 10 years working with TAFE Queensland, now three months into the CEO role at East Coast Apprenticeships, bringing training sector knowledge into GTO land.
07:03 What surprised Simon most about GTOs: the model is stickier than he expected, closer to a purposeful recruitment and matching process than the constant employer rotation he’d assumed defined group training.
09:22 East Coast Apprenticeships directly employs apprentices across the Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, and Brisbane, with a Gold Coast office opening soon, mostly placed with construction trades employers.
11:08 Simon sees an opportunity for GTOs to support small businesses that win Brisbane 2032 contracts, helping them scale up with apprentices for a defined project window rather than a full apprenticeship term.
13:06 A breakdown of recent incentive changes: the apprenticeship payment for small employers has dropped from $5,000 to $4,000, and businesses with more than 200 staff are no longer eligible at all. GTOs remain an exception.
24:04 Simon’s biggest takeaway from his first regional site visits: the relationship between field officers, apprentices, and host employers is, in his words, the secret sauce behind GTO outcomes.
33:16 Simon puts a number on the opportunity in construction: a small share of construction employers takes on apprentices, and only a minority of Queensland apprentices are supported through a group training model.
42:44 East Coast Apprenticeships is going through a full rebrand. Simon talks about modernising a business with roots stretching back to 1988, including its original logo.
45:17 A frank conversation about resilience versus support, and where the responsibility sits between employers, schools, parents, and young people themselves.
50:00 Reflecting on a decade at TAFE Queensland: what kept him there, and how completing an MBA through the University of Otago helped him step into an executive role.
57:34 Simon describes the Coast to Coast, a 243-kilometre multisport race across New Zealand’s Southern Alps involving a kayak leg, a bike leg, and a trail run, and why learning new things as an adult matter to him.
1:08:32 Simon’s closing advice: treat career decisions as temporary rather than permanent, and be ready before the opportunity shows up, not after.
If Simon’s take on modernising a 1980s-era GTO, or his approach to getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, sounds like something worth your next commute.
You can listen to the full episode through Spotify
