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.

New Traineeships

Scaffolders, steelfixers, concreters and demolition workers will now be paid at the tradesman rate (CW3). The CSTC is also offering traineeships in rigging and dogging but these workers already receive CW3 rates of pay.

The response to the new training courses has been encouraging but every worker in one of these classifications should have their assessment and their accreditation brought up to date so they can also enjoy the better pay rates.

To date, 46 trainees have been signed up to courses at the CSTC including 16 concreters, 12 steelfixers, nine scaffolders and three riggers.

In my role as Trainee Liaison Officer, I talk to all major builders on the company policies in regard to training and encourage subcontractors to become involved.

I visit all trainees on site regarding their obligation to their employers and also the requirement for them to attend classes at the Construction Skills Training Centre.

I am also the link between major contractors, builders, subcontractors, trainees and the CSTC. There has been a great response to the recent inclusion of scaffolders, riggers and dogmen into the training scheme. Seminars were held in February about the introduction of these new classifications and the response was so good that 10 new trainees were signed up before the seminars were held.

These included three scaffolders each for Bell Scaffolding and Global Scaffolding, two riggers for DA Manufacturing and one rigger each for Beenleigh Steel Fabrication and Rig Rite.

Brian McNicol

Trainee Liaison Officer

Builders Labourers Federation

Certificate 3

New Qualifications

The building and construction industry General Construction National Training Package has several new qualifications that previously did not exist or were simply not available to the industry prior to 1 January 2005.

These new qualifications apart from traditional trades now include Certificate III (trade level) for:

1. Scaffolding;

2. Rigging;

3. Dogging;

4. Steelfixing;

5. Concreting; and

6. Demolition.

This is the Construction Skills Training Centre’s core training and assessment delivery area. We have Training Centres located in either Salisbury in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns.

It is now important to ensure that any existing worker/s who wants to achieve any of the above qualification/s has the opportunity through the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessment process.

The CSTC has developed an assessment resource kit which is simple to use and allows existing workers to put together a profile of their skills along with references from past employers or supervisors which are then desk audited to map skills against the competencies in the qualification to determine if all the skills for the Certificate III qualification are present and met.

The worker will be automatically eligible to receive the Certificate IIII qualification if their skills can be matched to the qualification’s competencies; if they are not, then the CSTC can facilitate up-skilling training and assessment as necessary.

Workers should contact the CSTC if they wish to be assessed for one of the above qualifications.

Trainers Wanted

The CSTC is also looking for workers who would like to be assessors and trainers in these qualifications.

The skills necessary include a minimum of 10 years work experience in the occupational area, a willingness to learn and be teachable and a strong desire to work with young people and share and pass your knowledge onto others.

Assessors and Trainers are required to have a Training and Assessment qualification at either Certificate IV or Diploma level.

The CSTC will facilitate the gaining of either of these qualifications at our expense.

If you are interested in becoming a trainer or assessor please contact the Centre on 07 337388888 for a confidential appointment.

Peter J Roebig

Managing Director

Construction Skills Training Centre