Gtec Training and Development grows from four staff to over 80 in five years

A Townsville training provider is riding a wave of success after growing from four staff to over 80 in the past five years. See where they’ve relocated.

Connecting Communities directors Greg MacIntyre and Richard Roe with Stacie Stockham from Ray White Commercial. Picture: Evan Morgan

Tucked away in Currajong, a people-focused training provider had quietly gone about its work before a partnership with the National Disability Insurance Scheme saw its success in supporting the community skyrocket.

Founded by Greg Macintyre and Richard Roe, Gtec Training and Development has been delivering specialised and individualised training in Townsville for almost 15 years, priding itself on putting its clients, staff and people of the community as its main focus.

Mr Roe said they initially started out as a small, sole trader providing literacy and numeracy training to support disadvantaged people, including first nations people, to help them enter the workforce.

Through working with the government, the business underwent several structural changes to secure additional funding and offer broader training, before applying for registration with the NDIS to provide community nursing under the name Community Connect five years ago.

Encouraged to broaden their NDIS offering, they are now able to provide a range of services including community access, assistance with daily living, supported independent living, respite, short-term and medium-term accommodation, and community nursing.

Connecting Communities directors Greg MacIntyre and Richard Roe with Stacie Stockham from Ray White Commercial. Picture: Evan Morgan

“Over five years, we went from four employees to just over 73 support workers and 11 operational,” Mr Roe said.

“We are pretty much a wrap-around service. We do training for other organisations around competency-based training, around nursing, (including) peg tube training, colostomy training, ileostomy, diabetes management, and medication management.

Inside Connecting Communities' new office at 106 Dalrymple Road, Currajong. Picture: Supplied.

“To get where we are today, it’s quite surreal to see what we’ve grown as a local business in Townsville for the duration of the many years it has been trading.”

Situated in a small building, opposite a wreckers on Keane St, with “abysmal” parking, Mr Roe was on the look out for a larger premises which would allow the business to take its nursing competency training to the next level.

“We have a clinical training area, a medical suite with a high-low hospital bed, a full medical dummy called Bobby … (where) we can do all practical and hands-on skills … before they go out in the field and go hands on with a client,” he said.

After reaching out to Ray White Commercial’s Troy Townsend and Stacie Stockham, they were able to find a suitable space with “better exposure, a better layout for staff and training plus parking” nearby at 1/106 Dalrymple Rd - before reopening three weeks ago.

Stacie Stockham from Ray White Commercial (centre) with staff from Connecting Communities. Picture: Evan Morgan

Ms Stockham said the Dalrymple Rd property ticked these boxes with minimal fit-out works required prior to occupation, with great exposure and an abundance of parking on-site.

“The tenant’s signed a five + five year term securing their position in a tightly held commercial complex of over 70 tenancies,” she said.

For more information, visit: www.connectingcommunities.com.au

Originally published as Gtec Training and Development grows from four staff to over 80 in five years