sed-banner_news-media.jpg

News & Media

Commitment to Youth

Wed 23 May 2018

Jim McConnell is not only a household name in Shoalhaven business, but his highly honed teaching and mentoring skills have kickstarted the careers of large numbers of local tradesmen.

Jim was born at Wellington in the central west, where he also did his apprenticeship as a welder, later moving into the highly sought after field of pressure welding.

After doing specialist pressure welding work at power stations on the central coast and in the Hunter Valley, he moved to the Southern Shoalhaven 38 years ago and set up a fabrication workshop at Milton.

These days Mr McConnell operates a highly successful workshop and hardware store in Wilford'sLane.

During his time in business, Jim has made an enormous contribution to the trade skills base of the region, employing more than 20 apprentices, in the welding and small engine trades.

Mr McConnell says when hiring new apprentices he looks for one simple attribute, and that is enthusiasm to succeed.

Now days a veteran of the industry, Mr McConnell says the best way a prospective apprentice can show he or she is keen, is to approach him several times asking to be hired.

Now days a veteran of the industry, Mr McConnell says the best way a prospective apprentice can show he or she is keen, is to approach him several times asking to be hired.  

One of the success stories of the McConnell's apprenticeship program has been Warren Gardner, who has worked across Australia and overseas, and has now returned home to start his own business.

Mr Mc Connell says the workshop and it's highly skilled team of tradesmen and apprentices has fabricated work for jobs in Sydney, the Southern Highlands and the ACT.

Locally one of the major projects in recent times has been making the hand rails and barriers for the new Burrill Lake bridge.

While retirement might be on Jim's horizon, he is working on development plans for a new fabrication workshop and heavy hardware store, expected to cost up to $900,000.

Click here for more information on McConnell Steel.


2018-mcconnell-steel.jpg