Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program
The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program (ISLP), administered by Training Services NSW, will capitalise on the NSW Government’s record levels of infrastructure investment to boost the number of skilled construction workers and create fresh pathways to employment across the state.
On this page:
The NSW Government consulted with the construction industry to establish skills, training and employment targets to increase diversity in the workplace. The targets will:
- allow existing workers to learn new skills on the job
- increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities available on NSW Government infrastructure projects
- increase the representation of young people, Aboriginal people and women in the construction industry
- ensure workers from surrounding areas are targeted for training and employment to help address existing skills shortages across NSW.
PBD 2020-03 Skills, training and diversity in construction
ISLP Targets are now mandatory
The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program was approved by the NSW Procurement Board on 27 May 2020 as a mandatory requirement for all major NSW Government infrastructure projects, effective from 1 July 2020. It is not retrospective and applies to all new projects from 1 July 2020.
The Board Direction PBD 2020-03 Skills, training and diversity in construction can be found here.
Training Management Guidelines
The Training Management Guidelines provides information for NSW Government agencies and construction contractors on meeting the ISLP targets. It sets out the skills and diversity targets, provides examples of strategies for achievement and guidance on reporting performance to TSNSW.
Reporting
An example reporting template – ‘Attachment A’ – is included in the guidelines and can be downloaded here. Refer to the Training Management Guidelines for the full reporting requirements.
The Training Management Guidelines and Reporting Template are live documents and will be updated from time to time. If you have any questions or feedback in relation to these documents please contact the team at ISLP@det.nsw.edu.au.
The NSW Government Action Plan
The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program is part of the NSW Government Action Plan: A ten point commitment to the construction sector (Action Plan).
Points nine and ten of the Action Plan recognise the need for the NSW Government to develop the skills, capability and capacity of the construction workforce in partnership with the private sector.
The NSW Government has worked closely with industry and government agencies to establish, implement and monitor achievement against the ISLP targets.
Since 2016 the ISLP has worked with nineteen state infrastructure projects in civil and general infrastructure; varying from the $20 billion Sydney Metro to the $180 million Lismore Base Hospital Redevelopment Stage 3B. All ISLP projects have exceeded expectations and achieved outstanding results against the targets.
Skills, Training and Diversity Targets
The NSW Government Action Plan sets out the following skills, training and diversity targets for major construction projects over $100 million
- 20% of the total project workforce to be made up of ‘learning workers’ (defined as trainees and workers who need to update their qualifications to meet the needs of the infrastructure project)
- 20% of all trades positions on a project made up of apprentices
- apply the Aboriginal Participation in Construction Policy
- doubling the number of women in trade related work (up from the NSW average of 1% to 2%)
- ensuring at least 8% of the total project workforce is aged less than 25 years
- reporting the employment and training outcomes for people from the local region (local region to be defined in the contract).
Agencies or Contractors may also wish to adopt additional targets on the project to support disadvantaged and underrepresented groups into employment including; people with a disability, long-term unemployed people, Refugees and Asylum Seekers or returned service men and women.
ISLP Projects
The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program is a partnership between the NSW Government and the construction industry working together to co-design strategies that benefits the individual, local communities, supports underrepresented groups and addresses skills demands by setting minimum skills, training and employment diversity targets to upskill NSW workers and strengthen the NSW workforce.
Achievements under ISLP
The ISLP projects are demonstrating strong performance against the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program targets. The table below shows total achievement against targets for all the ISLP projects.
| Targets | Number of people | ISLP Target % | Average % across all ISLP projects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inducted on to site | 36,466 | ||
| Learning Workers | 12,698 | 20% | 31% |
| Apprentices | 598 | 20% | 29% |
| Aboriginal People | 1,134 | In line with APIC | 7% |
| Women in non-traditional Trades/Roles | 1,442 | 2% | 6% |
| Young people under 25 years | 5,115 | 8% | 15% |
| People living in the local Region | 13,602 | As per the contract | 48% |
Stocktake
In June 2014, the then Premier announced that at least 1,000 apprentices will be employed to help the NSW Government deliver its record level of Infrastructure.
This applies to all NSW Government Infrastructure Projects over $10 million and includes a target of 20% of the trades workforce to be apprentices.
Since the announcement, there have been just over 6,000 apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities, exceeding the Premier’s commitment for 1,000 apprentices, on Government infrastructure projects.
Skills shortages
Skills shortages occur where there is insufficient availability of skilled workers to meet the current and emerging needs of industry.
Forecasts suggest an additional 300,000 construction workers will be required nationally by 2024 (according to the Master Builders Australia).
Training Services NSW, through the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program, is collecting data on skill shortages from the projects listed above.
The ISLP projects have reported data to reflect that there are shortages in both technical skills including demolition and tunnelling work and soft skills including communication and leadership.
The Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program is an initiative set by the NSW Government in consultation with the construction industry to address current and emerging skills shortages to ensure NSW has a skilled workforce that is highly trained and diverse.
Resources for Download
- NSW Government Action Plan: A ten point commitment to the construction sector
- NSW Procurement Board Direction – PBD 2020-03 Skills, training and diversity in construction
- Training Management Guidelines for ISLP
- Attachment A - Reporting template for the Training Management Guidelines
- ISLP FAQs – coming soon.
The Training Management Guidelines and Reporting Template are live documents and will be updated from time to time. If you have any questions or feedback in relation to these documents please contact the team at ISLP@det.nsw.edu.au.