BUILDING THE SKILLS
FOR THE FUTURE ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE LOOKS AT THE ROLE MAJOR TRAINING HUBS AND INITIATIVES PLAY IN UPSKILLING AUSTRALIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE INDUSTRY AND WHERE THE KEY CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
C
omplete with a replica tunnel, three multi-purpose engineering workrooms and training facilities – not to mention tunnel shaft and concrete lining spray simulation – Melbourne’s proposed $16 million tunnelling training centre sounds like an ideal location to learn the ins and outs of tunnel construction in Australia. In August last year, the Victorian Government announced the new tunnelling centre, to be located at the Holmesglen Institute’s Drummond Street campus in Chadstone and modelled after the Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy set up as part of London Crossrail. The state anticipates that by 2021 up to 5000 students will participate in trainee courses at the new centre each year, helping up-skill thousands of local workers required to build some of the state’s major
transport infrastructure projects. With works underway for the West Gate Tunnel and Metro Tunnel projects, as well as the North East Link, Melbourne Airport Rail Link and Suburban Rail Loop on the horizon, the provision of such training centres may very well set the standard for training and upskilling in Australia’s infrastructure sector. But Victoria is not alone in its quest to empower local labour through such training centres based around major projects. In February this year, the Western Australian Government announced its intentions to transform the Midland TAFE campus into a specialist training facility to equip locals with the skills to build METRONET projects. Specifically, the proposed METRONET Trade Training Centre will provide a specialist training hub that provides the technical and support skills for CYP D&C Cadets kickstart their career in construction on the Metro Tunnel Project.
18
ROADS APRIL 2019
railcar manufacturing and METRONET maintenance. Likewise, the NorthConnex Training Hub, set up as part of the $3 billion project in New South Wales, was established to help develop and upskill the labour in the civil construction market required for the project and beyond. With myriad training hubs being established alongside major transport infrastructure projects around Australia, Roads & Infrastructure Magazine seeks to understand the key benefits they bring as well as the other opportunities and challenges out there in ensuring there is enough skilled labour to build Australia’s infrastructure future. BUILDING THE METRO TUNNEL MetroHub – a project-specific employment, training and industry connection centre for the Metro Tunnel Project’s tunnels and stations package – is one such centre at the forefront. Launched in July last year by Victorian Minister for Industry and Employment Ben Carroll, MetroHub is a centre for providing career pathways, industry training and employment opportunities on the Metro Tunnel. The centre is a partnership between the project’s tunnels and stations contractor CYP Design and Construction (CYP D&C) – a consortium comprising Lendlease, John Holland and Bouygues Construction – and Holmesglen Institute. MetroHub Manager Lexie Walter says the centre facilitates a full project induction, construction induction white card training and other project-required accredited training.
