Paul Bidmeade
Paul brings a rare mix of communications expertise and hands-on workforce development experience to his role at Major Training. Since joining Major in April 2026, he manages content, communications and events across the business helping learners, employers and school partners understand what vocational training can do for them.
Before Major, Paul spent several years in employment services with Workskil Australia and Jobs Statewide, coaching job seekers into sustainable work under the Workforce Australia and Job Active programs. That work aimed at connecting people with training pathways, reverse-marketing candidates to employers, and navigating funding systems which ultimately gave him a practical understanding of how vocational education actually plays out for individuals and businesses.
His background in journalism and digital marketing shapes how he writes: clear, useful, and grounded in what real people need to know.
Most confined space incidents don’t begin with a dramatic failure. They begin with someone deciding the job is quick and the space looks fine. The gas test can wait. No need to wear PPE. That’s the worst thing you can do when working in confined spaces. Queensland law takes the opposite view, treating a confined…
For the years Husnen Rupani spent teaching electrotechnology, the hardest part of the job was explaining something none of his apprentices could actually see. Electricity is invisible and a learner can recite Ohm’s law word for word while still failing to connect any of it to the reading on the meter in front of them.…
Toolbox talks are brief safety meetings to make sure everyone is on the same page. They typically last 5 to 15 minutes, are held on jobsites before work begins, and cover topics like workplace hazards and safe behaviours to prevent accidents. Any workplace that carries physical and environmental risks should hold toolbox talks. Each day,…
Elevating work platforms (EWPs) are a staple across Queensland’s construction, maintenance, mining, warehousing, and industrial sectors. Workers and employers MUST get the right training to safely and legally operate one. So it’s important to understand which qualification you actually need before booking an EWP training or WP licensing course. EWP licence requirements actually depend on…
Anyone working at heights or in tight spaces (including in standby or support roles) is legally required to complete the following nationally recognised training: RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights RIIWHS202E Enter and Work in Confined Spaces Once you’ve completed these, you must also complete regular refresher training every 2-3 years. Most employers schedule refresher training…
The fabrication bay at Oly Homes, on the Sunshine Coast, runs to the beat of grinders and the quiet arc of a welding torch tracing steel, all of which is sheltered from the weather outside. Every modular home is built in a controlled factory environment, without the need to delay projects because of bad weather.…
Electrical safety in the workplace is a legal requirement. All companies using electrical equipment must follow Australian standards to ensure offices and other worksites are safe spaces for people to work in. One core aspect of electrical safety is the proper use of test and tag labels. While they may appear to be simple labels,…
HunterNet Career Connections’ latest Educational Pathways Programs put 25 high school students on a workshop floor for ten days, swapping textbooks for welding machines and electrical installation testing equipment. Students stepped into Major Training’s Beresfield campus, experiencing what a future in the trades could look and feel like. The partnership between HunterNet Career Connections and…
Confined spaces are one of the highest-risk work environments across multiple industries. Despite the name, a confined space is not simply a tight or restricted space. It’s an enclosed or partially enclosed space that’s not suitable for occupancy. A confined space poses health and safety risks like dangerous oxygen levels, toxic contaminants, or engulfment. Therefore,…