If you’re in Victoria pitching for large state government tenders, you’ve probably become familiar with the Major Project Skills Guarantee (MPSG). And let’s face it, we’re all thinking the same. It’s all well and good meeting the necessary trainee staff quotas but what about having the best team for the job? Not to mention the extra overhead with supervising. Well, what if I was to tell you there’s a totally legitimate way to meet this requirement that’s a win win for all involved?
Okay, let me roll this back quickly for any newbs to Victoria. The government of Victoria has established a ‘Local Job’s First’ policy which opens opportunities for SME’s to compete for both large and small government contracts. Great, right?
Well, part of the ‘Local Job’s First’ policy is the Victorian Government Major Project Skills Guarantee (MPSG). The MPSG requires that all government funded projects valued at or over $20 million must use a Victorian apprentice, trainee or cadet for at least 10% of the total estimated labour hours. This is aimed at ensuring young local workers, particularly in the field of construction, get experience on large scale projects. This strategy means Victorians gain both valuable experience and qualifications, whilst the state grows the quality and quantity of their local Australian workforce. Still pretty great, huh?
Well kind of. This is great news for trainee job prospects but bad news for you, running the program. Not only do you need to re-staff your projects, risk is added to every corner of the triangle – time, cost and quality, not to mention OH&S factors. However, here’s the clincher! There is a totally legitimate way to help meet the quota and not cause as much disruption.
MPSG states that anyone employed on the government project must be either an apprentice, trainee or cadet. So naturally most are thinking about the main task at hand – electricians, builders, plumbers. But why stop there (they do say ‘anyone’ after all). You have to remember, traineeships apply to many professions including one vital in projects; project management.
The number of project management staff you need to recruit on a large government project is usually significant. Many of these administrative staff may not have any formal project management qualifications. By employing these staff in project management traineeships, not only will it be easier to meet the MPSG training quotas, it will also provide a consistent set of qualified skills in your Project Management Office. Sounds pretty good to me.
The Certificate IV in Project Management is a nationally recognised qualification designed for project co-ordinators. It is a qualification providing a stepping-stone to project management roles in the future. The ‘Local Jobs First’ MPSG policy may have most people focussed on trade positions. However, there is just as much benefit for up and coming project managers to get the proper training and on the job experience on major projects.
These traineeships are undertaken in the workplace and use real-life examples to apply the training, so there is less disruption to the workplace – and the construction. Plus, there are government grants available up to $4,000 for staff employed under a traineeship arrangement.
Seems too good to be true but it really isn’t.
Are you looking for help with meeting the Victorian Skills Guarantee on Major Projects (MPSG)?
Opportune is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO ID: 60072) who is accredited to provide nationally recognised qualifications across a number of disciplines.
We are working with leading project management recruiter PM-Partners to supply project management trainees to businesses, looking to meet personnel training quotas for major Victorian government projects.
To chat to us about your tender, call us on 1300 721 121 or email [email protected]
Is Vocational Education & Training right for me?
Now that you understand a little more about Vocational Education & Training, speak to Opportune about how we can help you obtain a nationally recognised qualification through the course of your employment. bOr, as an employer, we can help you offer this type of training to your employees through our bespoke training programs. You can find out more about what’s involved by contacting us on 1300 721 121 or email [email protected].
