Major projects report urges industry to prepare for rapid skills demand
Thursday, 09 February 2012
Key findings in a 2012 Major Projects report released by the Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA) in partnership with Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ) is urging the state’s construction and energy industry to start preparing for a rapid increase in skills demand.
The report identifies that the CSG to LNG industry will continue to drive business investment growth over the medium term.
Three major CSG to LNG projects worth around $45 billion are currently under construction in Queensland.
The report predicts major engineering construction projects, exceeding $100 million in value, to double in growth from a forecast of $10.7 billion in work undertaken in 2011/12 to just under $20 billion per annum in 2013/14 and 2014/15.
On a broader level, engineering construction activity is expected to exceed $100 billion per annum in 2013/2014. The upswing in major engineering construction activity in Queensland is likely to be sustained and will have a substantial impact on workforce requirements, with the report predicting a peak of approximately 30,000 engineering construction workers required by 2014/15.
The report suggests the regional focus of many mining and energy products will create substantial challenges for the construction industry.
The coming mining and energy investment cycle will drive a fundamental shift in the way construction works are delivered. Competitive positioning will be required in the building and engineering construction industries as large mining and energy projects attract skilled labour and equipment.
QMCA president Tony Hackett said the surge in major engineering construction called for a research based report to be developed to assist key industry stakeholders in their preparations.
“Major projects require a great amount of planning, control and coordination to ensure they have the skills to be delivered on time and on budget.
“The value of projects commencing in between 2012 and 2015 is larger than ever before so it is vital that the industry undertakes sufficient workforce planning to minimise cost escalations,” he said.
For more information on the 2012 Major Projects Report visit:
www.qmca.com.au
www.csq.org.au
