Thanks to $4.3 million in funding from the State Government, CCFTas has begun the process of developing the Earthworks Academy, a live training site that will be built at Quercus Park in Carrick.

The opportunities presented by a site providing simulated training in a live environment are exciting, far-reaching, and a first in Tasmania. Initial scoping work for the Earthworks Academy has identified a location, requirements, designs and function.

This exciting project will allow us to provide training to people interested in joining the civil construction industry, as well as workers who want to develop their skills. It will also provide an on-site training opportunity for other RTOs and providers throughout the state.

Following the establishment of a baseline of operational requirements for this innovative training approach, we look to the future and explore how we can maximise the success of government’s investment in our industry.

Background

The Civil Contractors Federation Tasmania (CCFTas) identified a need to establish a purpose built, specialised Live Works training site for Plant and Machinery Operator training in Tasmania for the civil construction sector.

In October 2022, as a KPI from the High Vis Army (HVA) project CCFTas in partnership with Skills Tasmania, TasTAFE and Keystone Tasmania conducted a study tour of Civil Train South Australia’s Civil Construction Live Works training site. The site, the largest of its kind in Australia, is considered by industry as best practice for delivering specialised civil construction industry training.

Following the study tour, all parties agreed there was value in live, site-based training and tasked CCFTas to investigate the demand for and feasibility of a future Live Works training site for the sector.

CCFTas commissioned Stenning & Associates to research the demand for a Live Works training site for plant and machinery operator training in the civil construction industry in Tasmania.

The analysis forecasts that the sector will need to employ and train an average of 667 additional Plant and Machinery Operators and other critical sector occupations annually until 2027.

The establishment of a Live Works training site to support workforce training will significantly improve the sector’s ability to rapidly train operators in a safe, controlled environment. It will drive improvements in training quality and consistency in the sector. It will improve the sector’s ability to attract younger workers by strengthening and enabling school-based pathways into the sector.

Industry feedback tells us that the civil construction sector is unlikely to be able to meet this forecast demand with its current approaches to plant and machinery operator training. Without change, the sector is likely to see infrastructure projects significantly delayed or abandoned, with negative flow-on impacts on Tasmania’s economic performance.

This Needs Analysis demonstrates there is significant training demand that a Live Works training site will support, now and into the future.

View the full CCFTas Live Works Training Site Needs Analysis (PDF)