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A volunteer lifesaver, the current manager of Blue Dog Training’s VET in Schools program, and a former member of the famed ‘Reno Brothers’,  Grant Mills is a man with many talents.

Born and raised in Ipswich, he is the youngest of three boys. Grant attended Bremer State High School until he was 15, when he decided he needed to support himself and began a full-time Fitting and Turning apprenticeship, following in his late father’s footsteps.

“Dad was a fitter and turner. He passed away when I was 9 months old in a work accident so I am committed to safe work practices. He went to work one day after the ‘74 floods. He was operating an end loader and pulled over to let oncoming traffic pass and the road collapsed, trapping him,” Grant said.

During his apprenticeship at Qld Rail, Grant attended night school to gain his senior certificate before deciding to go on to further study in a Bachelor of Technology Education.

“After that my first teaching job was at West Moreton Anglican College. I was there for 11 years, and ended up as the Head of Vocational Education. I enjoy the teaching side of things; I could walk back into a classroom and teach full-time tomorrow.”

Grant’s involvement in Norths Rugby League Club, where he played for eight years, led to him working on a project for Blue Dog Training. Ten years later he remains at the company, still enjoying the challenge of preparing the next generation for the trade life. During his time at Blue Dog, he has seen huge growth in the VET in Schools program.

“We’ve grown it from six schools at the end of 2014, to over sixty today. We will likely have 70 schools by the beginning of next year.”

He said the benefit of the Blue Dog Training method is that students get a taste of what employers are after, so they are ready for the road ahead. Grant was quick to point out that the success of the school program hinged on the team that Blue Dog had built.

“We’ve got a good blend of youth and experience and all the trainers bring different things to the table. We pass that on to each other, and pass that on to the teachers and students.”

Outside of Blue Dog, family has always been an important part of Grant’s life. During the mid-2000s, Grant and his two older brothers were featured in a local paper and dubbed the ‘Reno Brothers’ after buying, renovating and selling several properties in a short period of time. These days, he prefers to spend his time at a surf club on the Gold Coast with his wife and four kids. The family is all involved as nippers or volunteer lifesavers.

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