A Seven-Acre Classroom at Diggerman
Nicole May discovers the journey of a former deputy principal who swapped his tie for high-vis and built a seven-acre training site in Coolum to safeguard quality in the civil construction workforce.
If you had told the Deputy Principal of Buddina State School, a young Richard Burke, that he would one day be at the helm of Queensland’s premier civil construction training organisation, he might have laughed. But 23 years ago, driven by a desire for change, Richard stepped away from the whiteboard and bought his first truck and a small skid steer.
“I had no idea what I was doing; I just sort of winged it,” Richard recalls of those early days operating from his home.
Yet, his background in education proved to be his secret to success. The skills he honed managing staff, budgets, and communication with parents and students became the great grounding for what would eventually become Diggerman Training.
What started as a one-man residential earthmoving business supporting local builders and private residential works – soon evolved into a major movement in the civil construction industry. Richard’s persistence led to a breakthrough with civil contractors 19 years ago, giving him the confidence to scale.
As the business grew, however, Richard identified a critical gap: the difficulty of finding quality, skilled operators who fit a professional culture. True to his nature, he decided to train them himself.
Today, the Diggerman Training brand has transformed and Richard has transitioned from running a substantial earthmoving fleet to focusing solely on Diggerman Training, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) that processes over 5,000 students annually.
What truly sets Diggerman apart isn’t just the name; it’s the seven-acre purpose-built facility in Coolum Beach. This isn’t a classroom of desks and textbooks; it is a sprawling, realistic simulated work site where students learn by doing.
“We value the quality of the training,” Richard explains, noting that Diggerman ensures students get maximum time in the seat. The site is meticulously designed to mimic real-world conditions, including a dedicated high-risk area and night training facilities for those who are time-poor during the day or need to experience working under lights.
From excavators and telehandlers to rollers, loaders, and haul trucks, the Coolum site is a machinery enthusiast’s dream. Students aren’t just driving in circles; they are performing site specific activities as they would be on a normal civil site. For the high risk courses, activities like blind lifts – where a crane operator and dogger must communicate via whistle or radio without being able to see one another – creating the confidence needed for a live site.
The core of Diggerman lies in its people. Richard’s team of 17 trainers each boasts over 20 years of industry experience. Many are former operators from Richard’s own earthmoving division – men who transitioned from the field to the training ground. This depth of experience allows for a unique teaching style that prioritises rapport. Richard understands that many people entering the trades may not have had the best experience in traditional schooling and recognises that the more they feel relaxed, the more they’re going to learn.
“Building rapport is really important, and we’ve constructed these classrooms, all named after the Sunshine Coast mountains, to help each person feel comfortable and confident in where and what they are learning,” he says.
This commitment extends beyond the Coolum gates. Diggerman offers a mobile training service, sending trainers to work sites across the coast and regional Queensland to assess workers on their own equipment and with their own crews. This flexibility is essential for businesses that cannot afford to have their staff off-site but need to ensure they are compliant and skilled.
Diggerman has become a vital networking hub for the industry and employers often reach out to Richard, looking for talented students who have been screened through Diggerman’s rigorous star-level system.
“It’s a real nursery for potential operators,” Richard says.
By connecting students with labour-hire companies and civil contractors, Diggerman doesn’t just provide a qualification; it provides a career pathway. The courses at Diggerman are as detailed as they are diverse. While many know the brand for its yellow logo and machines, the high-risk training is where the intricate details of safety come to the fore.
Dogging and Rigging, often misunderstood, are the backbone of high-rise construction, bridge building and commercial developments. A five-day Dogging course is the entry point, teaching students how to safely connect loads to cranes using chains and slings. From there, they can progress to Rigging (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced), where they learn to construct structures at height, use winches, and even build tower cranes.
“These two go hand in hand, because a rigger needs to know how to safely put a lift together before they can construct structures at height,” Richard said.
Then there’s the machinery. Whether it’s an Excavator, Dozer, or Grader, each machine requires a specific course. By ensuring students are competent, the training acts as a quality assurance for employers, giving them confidence that a Diggerman-trained operator is safe and skilled.
For those looking for a trade equivalent, Diggerman offers traineeships like the Certificate III in Civil Construction Plant Operations. These comprehensive programs cover up to 26 units, from road maintenance to pipe laying, ensuring a well-rounded expertise. Every student starts with the White Card, a mandatory safety induction for any construction site. Diggerman also provides Verification of Competency, reassessing experienced operators to ensure they haven’t lost their skills.
Richard foresees a skills shortage – the likes of which we have never seen, with the infrastructure boom expected between 2027 and the 2032 Olympics. By focusing on quality, realistic training, and genuine industry connections, Diggerman Training is building the foundations of our future on the Sunshine Coast and the nation.
UNLEASH YOUR INNER DIGGER
Diggerman Training prides itself on establishing an environment with as much focus on safety as ensuring an enjoyable experience and fostering camaraderie between students and instructors. With all the equipment and coffee and smoko vans on-site, it offers
a great opportunity to get valuable, hands-on experience in a welcoming environment.
You can even give the gift of a brighter future by purchasing an experience package for someone who has always dreamed of experiencing life behind the controls of a Tower Crane or and Excavator – or book Diggerman for a corporate event or team training. It’s the ultimate bucket list experience for the big kid in all of us!
To find out more, visit www.diggermantraining.com.au
