Accidents such as the bridge collapse that injured 15 workers on the Barton Highway occurred because most ACT steel workers are not fully qualified, a local steel fixer says.
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But those in the sub-trade industries say it is impossible to upskill their staff because cross-border anomalies are roadblocking them from accessing government funding.
![Steel qualifications need fix to stop accidents: industry Steel qualifications need fix to stop accidents: industry](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/a5805dbf-f41f-4ccb-be51-2147221c0187.jpg/r0_0_729_486_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
ACT Steelfixing employee Dave Cahill said the ACT Government had received millions of dollars to upskill its steel fixers, concreters and form workers but many were missing out because their businesses were based in Queanbeyan and Jerrabomberra.
He estimated 90 per cent of steel fixers working in the territory were employed by NSW businesses, including those working on major projects such as the Cotter Dam, Canberra Airport and ASIO building.
These companies were registered in the ACT, followed ACT regulations on payroll and long-service leave and hired most of their staff from the ACT yet they were barred from grants that would bring their workers up to standard, he said.
''I could sign up 50 people tomorrow if the Government would release this funding,'' he said.
''[The workers] are sick of being treated like second-rate citizens on the construction sites.''
The funding Mr Cavill referred to is User Choice, an ACT-governed grants program providing $9765 per apprentice or trainee to assist them gain a Certificate III qualification.
But the program is only available to workers of employers based in the ACT.
Alternatively, employers can apply for federal funding through the Productivity Places Program, and this is available to all existing workers regardless of which state or territory they live in.
But the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union says the program is rendered useless by the fact it only provides $3500 funding per worker.
ACT secretary Dean Hall said registered training organisations would not run the course for that price because of the high cost of materials needed for students.
''NSW-based businesses are turned away from training their apprentices for the same reason - the User Choice program there only provides $2700 per student,'' he said.
The complexities of each system are causing consternation on building sites across the capital.
ACT Steelfixing director Dimitra Cavill was forced to fork out $800 of her own money to complete a Certificate III in steel fixing because none of the programs would extend funding to company directors.
''It all feels pretty impossible,'' she said.
''I can't train up new workers unless I have the Certificate III. To do it not only costs me money for the course but it costs me in the time I have to spend training and that's all lost earnings for us.''
The Federal Government recently announced it would be ''harmonising'' rules and regulations for apprentices across jursidictions but workers say such cooperation must extend to all levels of training.
Government and industry representatives are working together to find a solution in the ACT but Mr Hall said it was not as simple as opening the funding to anyone working in the territory.
''We have a lot of businesses from Sydney and elsewhere coming in on a contract-by-contract basis and we don't want that money going to a worker who is here for three months and then we never see him again,'' he said.
Mr Hall said increasing the number of qualified workers would be a boon to the industry as it would give often poorly educated workers skills such as plan reading, scheduling and occupational health and safety awareness, which would reduce productivity and accidents. ''We have high [insurance] premiums due to the large number of manual handling injuries,'' he said.
''For those who are incapacitated through things like permanent back injuries, this could allow them to work as a foreman and still be productive and might also help workers pick up glitches before accidents happen.
''We would also reduce the huge amount of wastage in this industry because people would be properly trained in scheduling and ordering materials.''