Established in 2015, Iron Training & Consulting is a privately owned Registered Training Organisation (RTO) employing a small, close-knit team of eight staff and supporting fewer than 100 students annually. While primarily operating across Western Australia, the organisation also delivers training in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. The company is not a family business in the traditional sense but operates with a strong family-first attitude prioritising flexibility, empathy, and support for personal responsibilities.

This people-first approach has helped the organisation maintain strong staff retention and minimal turnover over the past five years, while fostering a positive and supportive workplace culture. Mark Shedlock, Managing Director, reflects “everyone’s happy” and “no one’s ever going to leave us on a bad note”.

He attributes the organisation’s success to a leadership style built on empowerment, open communication, explaining that “It’s just talking to people and not saying do that, do this”. Flexibility is extended based on trust and tenure, such as allowing a valued coordinator to work remotely from Brisbane after relocating.

Key attraction and retention strategies

The company’s attraction and retention strategies are multifaceted, combining cultural values with practical benefits.

  • Competitive financial incentives: Offers above-industry pay and comprehensive packages that cover laptops, cars, and phones.
  • Practical support for employees: Provides housing assistance in high-cost regions like Port Hedland, recognising the importance of reducing life stressors. As Shedlock explains “we rent the house.”
  • People-centred culture: Combines practical incentives, flexibility and wellbeing support to create an environment where employees remain engaged and committed.

Investing in people and career development

Career development is a key component of Iron Training & Consulting’s retention strategy. Demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to developing existing employees, Shedlock explains that internal staff are prioritised for advancement opportunities: “I’ll go to the two trainers there and ask them first before advertising externally.” The organisation also maintains positive relationships with former employees and remains open to rehiring.

Shedlock’s leadership philosophy centres on valuing and supporting trainers as the core of the business. “Without trainers, you don’t have business” he asserts, advocating for a people-first approach over profit driven motives. This commitment is demonstrated by Shedlock’s willingness to invest in staff development without hesitation. Recalling a request for a $4,000-$5,000 professional development course, he said: “He sent me an email… I just said yep, book him in.” Informal gestures, such as taking staff out for dinner, further reinforce a culture of trust, respect, and long-term commitment.

Mentoring and knowledge transfer

Mentoring is another important element of the company’s workforce strategy. Experienced trainers are paired with newer and younger staff to transfer industry knowledge, build capability and support professional growth. In addition to strengthening the future workforce pipeline, mentoring helps foster connection, confidence and long-term retention.

Industry challenges

While the organisation has built a strong internal culture, Shedlock notes that broader sector challenges continue to affect training providers.

  • Policy and funding clarity: Identified a need for greater clarity and consistency in policy and funding frameworks across the vocational education and training sector.
  • Inconsistent compliance advice: Highlighted variability in regulatory guidance, noting that, “If you ring [ASQA] up and ask a question… you’ll get two different answers.”
  • Administrative burden: Reported that the inconsistent compliance standards can create confusion and additional administrative requirements for training providers.
  • Lack of standardisation: Noted challenges arising from differing interpretations of training duration and compliance requirements across providers.
  • Call for clearer guidance: Advocated for clearer and consistent guidelines, stating that providers need straightforward guidance, “Step one to step 10. Do not deviate from that.”

 These reflections align with broader conversations in the sector, where some providers have expressed challenges navigating evolving, and sometimes unclear, regulatory expectations.

Key insight

Iron Training & Consulting demonstrates that strong workforce retention is built on more than remuneration alone. By combining flexibility, trust, mentoring, career development and practical support, the organisation has created a workplace culture where employees feel valued, supported and motivated to stay. The experience highlights the importance of investing in people while ensuring broader industry systems remain clear, consistent and easy to navigate.