LOCAL WAROONA TALENT NOW A RISING SCHLAM STAR

As an organisation, Schlam supports its team members in achieving their personal career goals. Skill development, trade-up opportunities, and career progression are just some of the many opportunities offered to employees at Schlam.

We've seen several people develop their careers with Schlam, becoming key players in our winning team. Clay, the Workshop Supervisor for the Waroona Branch, is one of these people, having successfully developed his career with Schlam over the past 8 years.  

Clay first came to Schlam in 2015, as a fresh 21-year-old, looking for a career change by becoming a 'mature-age' apprentice. Choosing to become an apprentice after a few years of full-time employment would've been a difficult adjustment for anyone, especially when considering the significant change in salary, alongside life's usual challenges. 

"During my apprenticeship the work was testing, but I knew that would be the case coming into the role, as it's a new environment and a new set of skills. The hardest adjustment was balancing a low salary, weekly rent in town and a baby on the way," Clay reflects. 

Regardless of those difficulties, Clay always had the right attitude, a valuable quality that can be hard to teach in the workplace. 

"My parents always said, if you're not going to do something properly, there's no point in doing it at all! So I stuck to it and just kept trying to do the best I could do," Clay said.

Within three and a half years, Clay completed his apprenticeship and went on to work at numerous sites under the Schlam name. 

"Once I became a qualified Line Borer and Boilermaker Welder, I spent the next four years working regularly at Newmont Gold in Boddington, Alcoa's Myara and McCoy sites, as well as Premier Coal in Collie," Clay said. 

Clay's work ethic and determination to learn didn't go unnoticed. Once Clay became a Senior Boilermaker Welder, he was quickly promoted to Leading Hand, and then again to Workshop Supervisor for the Waroona Branch, all within the same year. 

The Waroona Branch Manager, Sheree, has been fortunate enough to work alongside Clay throughout his time at Schlam. 

"Clay is an integral part of the Waroona team. His work ethic and 'get it done' attitude as an apprentice saw him selected to be trained as a Line Borer, which he excelled at," Sheree said. 

"Clay is now a respected leader of the Waroona team and while still new in the role of Supervisor, he is showing lots of promise to continue growing and progressing his career," Sheree said. 

Throughout Clay's "Schlam journey" he has had the opportunity to witness many changes, not only within himself and the company as a whole, but within the Waroona Branch specifically. 

"As a group we are learning and progressing every day. I'm enjoying the growth and success we are having down here, and I have a range of goals I would like to achieve, but only time will tell," Clay said. 

An increased workload comes with the need for a bigger team, which in today's current climate has been a tricky hurdle to overcome for many industries, but more so for companies located in rural areas. 

The Waroona Branch is located in the Peel Region, a short one-and-a-half-hour drive from Perth. Being a Waroona local, Clay has a long list of positives when it comes to living and working in the country. 

"I've been lucky enough to grow up in Waroona and experience the perks of living in the country. Nothing is too far from home, whether it's work, town, social activities, but all the while having lots of space and room to breathe. There are so many opportunities down here and it's a fantastic community to be a part of," Clay said. 

Thank you for your hard work, Clay. We look forward to watching your continued growth at Schlam!