Sailors take warning

Driver Education Centres of Australia (DECA) has begun one of its most complex assignments in the firm's 35 year history, providing transport training and education to the Royal Australian Navy.

The courses, although not specific to the Navy's needs or particularly complex, do provide a logistical challenge for DECA, the group faced with the task of providing 32 seperate courses at a range of locations across Australia, often with many  programs running concurrently.

"On one occasion late last year, DECA was conducting 22 courses for us at the same time at various locations around the country, " explained the Navy's national manager for transport training, Warren Heigh.

"So far all is going well. The DECA people are very professional and feedback from our personnel has been good."

DECA won the five-year contract to supply training to the Navy after its own internal transport training activities were shuttered last year. The courses range from driver training in four-wheel drives, mini buses, heavy rigid trucks and various machinery, including forklifts, cranes (dogging and rigging) and trailer operations.

The Navy conducts transport training courses for around 400 of its personnel every year.

"Setting up to meet the requirements of the Navy contract was a real logistics challenge," said DECA general manager of sales and marketing, Ian Mearns.

"It's been a massive exercise organising our own trainers and outside contractors to provide training in so many different disciplines at a variety of locations around the country. From a logistics point of view it has been one of our more complex contracts."

Melbourne-based DECA Training boasts modern, purpose-designed facilities in several locations around Victoria, as well as interstate agencies in Sydney and Hobart. The company has also provided training support for the Army in recent times.