Becoming a high-reach forklift driver was a dream for Menzi Abrogar, who moved to Australia from the Philippines with his wife and children in recent years in search of a better work-life balance.
Through training offered by Trojan Recruitment Group, Menzi was able to shift gears from his job at Ingram as a checker, where you book products that come in and enter them into a system, and become a forklift driver, one of the most in-demand jobs across several industries.
"I would see the forklift drivers, and I thought it was cool, I didn't know if it would be hard, but I really wanted to try it, so when the training came up, I said, 'Yeah, I'll take that training course!'" he says.
Prior to joining Trojan, Menzi worked as a seaman and found the juggle of home and family responsibilities challenging.
"If you're working on the ship, you can't be with your family, so this is much better." He was after a role that allowed him flexibility and balance in a way that worked for him and found that choosing an early start suits him.
Menzi’s day starts early with a 4:45am alarm and some push ups to get himself ready for the day. "I head to the office, make a cup of coffee, clock in, and when we're inside, we wait for 5 AM to do 15 minutes of stretches, and then afterwards, we get our labels, that we scan with our gun and get on with the day," he explains.
For many forklift drivers the day presents a range of varied tasks from loading, unloading, shipping, and receiving warehouse items to securing loads and making sure equipment and the workplace is always safe.
Menzie reveals that he was initially surprised the job presented him with some healthy challenges. "It's hard sometimes, I didn't expect that, because I thought they were just sitting there, driving the forklift," he says with a laugh. "Every day is always different because we're not always on the same department, so sometimes we do slotting, replenishing, or sometimes picking, and if you're at receiving, you put stock away," he explains.
The thing that brings Menzi the most joy, however, is meeting his work goals, "When you reach a certain goal, for me, because we have KPIs that they monitor, I'm always happy if I'm breaking the records. That's the most exciting part for me."
In addition to striving hard to meet his goals, Menzi finds the camaraderie and workmates adds a great deal of fun to the role. "As you get more experience, it's fun for me, working with the guys there, especially in the mornings and tea times, we make jokes, it's fun."
When asked what advice he has for people hoping to get into the industry, Menzi shares, "I'd say go for it, do the training with Trojan, be a forklift driver! My wife and I both worked with Trojan, and she is now working in aged care, because she's a nurse. Trojan is a very good team; I'd say one of the best.
"I was really lucky, doing the pre-training and now working as a forklift driver, I can really say that I'm happy. Thank you very much, Trojan!"
If you are open to new opportunities just like Menzi, contact a recruitment agency like Trojan Recruitment Group and receive advice from the experts in labour-hire, permanent and contract staff.
