Peter Roebig is the Managing Director of the Construction Skills Training Centre (CSTC).
He commenced in the position on 14 February 2005 replacing John Christian.
The Construction Skills Training Centre (CSTC) was established in 1994 by the Builders Labourers’ Federation (BLF) under the management of Mr. John Christian. John, as many of you will know, has moved on to a new career in the petro-chemical industry and is now based in Kuala Lumpur. It is important to recognise John’s contribution to the development of the CSTC because it was his drive and vision and that of the CSTC Board of Directors that has positioned the CSTC over the past 10 years as one of, if not the foremost building and construction training organisation in Australia.
It is also important for us to remember that the CSTC was begun as an initiative to assist all workers. The aim of the CSTC was, and still is, to provide centres of training excellence where all workers receive assessment, cross-skilling and upskilling training to suit their particular needs in the best possible training environment that wherever possible mirrors new and emerging technology and the workplace. The CSTC now also provides training for traineeships and apprenticeships to new entrant workers to the industry.
Since 1994, the CSTC will have trained by years end, 2005, in excess of 100,000 workers and established over 70 new training programs. Sometime ago, the CSTC introduced the CSTC qualification ID card, which is issued to all students enrolled in accredited training at the CSTC campuses in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.
The CSTC has won an array of awards since 1995, including "Best Training Provider" and "Most Innovative Training Provider". As well, this year we were the winners of the "Minister’s Training Initiative Award for Regional Queensland".
We train from Coolangatta to Cape York, and training products designed by the CSTC are currently being used throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
The CSTC’s ability to offer flexible training is just one of the reasons people come to us. Our popularity is also due to the professionalism of our staff, whose experience and industry knowledge are used to assist others to understand the continually changing environment of their workplace.
Furthermore, the CSTC trains with real toys. If we are training the student to operate a tower crane, we don’t just talk and teach theory, students drive a real tower crane.
Our Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) consulting team, lead by Peter Jensen, is well respected throughout industry for their ability to promptly respond to all OH&S issues and to provide solutions that achieve the appropriate outcomes.
The CSTC was incorporated in 1997, and achieved Quality Assurance status in the same year. We pride ourselves on our continual improvement policy, with all staff striving to be recognised as leaders, not followers. And we are always ready to listen to your new ideas and/or suggestion on how to improve our service.
By far, our greatest success as a training centre has been our ability to offer worthwhile training to all employed and unemployed workers. Many of these people have received no structured training in the past, and we believe that the training we provide has helped them to attain work and to remain employed.
While we can’t guarantee that just because you have completed a training program you will remain in work or gain employment. But, past experience tells me that employers are more willing to employ someone who is trained and holds a couple of tickets in their pockets than to employ someone who they will have to train.
I know I have thanked individuals and companies in my other article however, I believe it is very important to realise that without their help we would not be able to offer the training that we do.
A list of all those who have assisted the CSTC would read like the yellow pages, but special mention must be given to funding received through the Building Employees Redundancy Trust (BERT) and Department of Training, Employment and Industrial Relations (DETIR), Purchasing Branch. It is through their support that the CSTC is able to offer training programs that people can afford.
In conclusion, the CSTC recognises and thanks the workers and employers who use the services of the CSTC for their training, OH&S consulting, and our training design arm.
