Meeting customer expectations often means meeting new safety and compliance standards first.
For A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens, the opportunity to access Manufacturing Skills Queensland funded short courses was the catalyst for achieving this.
The business specialises in custom stainless-steel manufacturing and fabrication, producing precision-engineered products for some of the industry’s most diverse clients.
Administrator at A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens Michelle Hughes said its customer base includes Tier 1 builders and cabinetmakers, relationships that depend on consistent quality, reliability, as well as the ability to deliver and install products safely and on schedule.
Ms Hughes said A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens has spent more than 12 years building a reputation in Queensland’s manufacturing and construction sector.
“As the business has grown, so too has the scope of on-site work,” she said.
Installing custom stainless-steel fabrications for builders and cabinetmakers relies heavily on safely operating equipment and working at height on live construction sites.
The challenge
Forklift and Working at Heights qualifications were a requirement for A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens’ on-site installation work.
Without current licences, staff could not safely or legally carry out the practical demands of installing stainless-steel products on builder and cabinetmaker job sites, work that often involves manoeuvring heavy fabricated components and accessing elevated areas of a build.
With eight employees needing these qualifications, the cost and logistics of arranging compliant, high-quality training for the whole team was a significant consideration for the business.
Like many small to medium manufacturers, A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens needed a training pathway that was practical, properly accredited, and did not place unnecessary strain on the business while staff were away from billable work.
The solution
Major Training connected A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens with the MSQ funded short courses program.
As an approved MSQ training provider, Major Training was able to deliver nationally recognised TLILIC0003 Forklift Licence QLD and RIIWHS204E Work Safely at Heights training with a government subsidy reducing the cost of each course.
Because A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens operates as a small to medium manufacturing business in Queensland, it met the eligibility criteria for the program outright.
Major Training worked with A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens administrator Michelle Hughes to coordinate enrolment for the group of eight employees, confirming eligibility for each participant and scheduling sessions designed to minimise disruption to the business’s ongoing production and installation commitments.
The result was a genuine business need being addressed, matched with funded, accredited training delivered by a provider already well versed in the practical realities of manufacturing and trade businesses.
The outcome
Eight employees at A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens gained nationally recognised TLILIC0003 Forklift and RIIWHS204E Working at Heights qualifications, directly meeting the licensing requirements for on-site installation work.
The training was delivered at reduced cost through MSQ’s subsidy, removing a financial barrier that might otherwise have delayed upskilling the team.
With more staff now qualified, A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens has strengthened its ability to safely service Tier 1 builder and cabinetmaker clients, supporting the reliability the business has built its reputation on.
The business also now has a clear, low-cost pathway through Major Training and MSQ to train future staff as the team continues to grow.
About the MSQ funded short courses program
Manufacturing Skills Queensland (MSQ) is an independent body established and funded by the Queensland Government to build a sustainably skilled manufacturing workforce.
Through its Funded Short Courses program, MSQ subsidises up to $300 per course for eligible small to medium Queensland manufacturing businesses, covering high-priority licences such as forklift operation, working at heights, confined spaces, dogging, rigging, and elevating work platforms.
Courses are delivered by approved providers, including Major Training, across multiple Queensland locations.
Eligible businesses employ fewer than 200 people, and participants must be permanent Queensland residents and Australian citizens or permanent residents, with one subsidy available per employee.
Full details are available at msq.org.au/programs/funded-short-courses.
Get your team funded
If your manufacturing business needs staff trained in Forklift, Working at Heights, or other high-risk licences, Major Training can confirm your eligibility for MSQ funding and coordinate training around your business’s schedule, just as it did for A1 Custom Stainless & Kitchens.
Contact Major Training today to find out if your business and team qualify for funded training.
