Keeping a workshop running at full capacity often comes down to how many staff are qualified to do the job, not just how many are on the payroll.
CMQ Engineering has been designing, manufacturing and fabricating concrete batch plants and ancillary equipment since 2019, supplying a diverse range of customers from independent operators to major players like Holcim, Heidelberg and Boral
That reputation is built on the plant leaving the workshop correctly assembled and installed, which means staff regularly need to enter confined spaces and assist with crane lifts as part of day-to-day fabrication work.
The challenge
CMQ Engineering needed more staff qualified in CPCCLDG3001 Licence to Perform Dogging and RIIWHS202E Confined Space work to keep operations moving.
Both tasks are routine parts of the fabrication process, with staff entering confined spaces during construction and assisting with crane lifts when moving heavy components.
The more people qualified to do both, the smoother the workflow.
The problem was a significant portion of CMQ’s dogging-qualified staff were regularly working offsite, which left the workshop short of people able to competently run lifts day to day.
The solution
Major Training delivered CPCCLDG3001 Licence to perform Dogging to one new staff member and RIIWHS202E Confined Space training to a group of five CMQ Engineering employees.
Major Training worked with CMQ Engineering Office Administrator Leigh Burr to coordinate the group booking, confirming eligibility for each participant and scheduling the training to fit around the workshop’s ongoing fabrication commitments.
“Businesses are facing increasing costs so saving where we can is important,” Ms Burr said.
Ms Burr said with new staff now trained with the required training CMQ Engineering can run day to day operations effectively.
The outcome
One employee gained a dogging qualification and five gained confined space, directly addressing CMQ’s shortage of staff able to run crane lifts and safely enter confined spaces.
The training was subsidised through Manufacturing Skills Queensland, saving CMQ Engineering $1800, roughly the cost of qualifying two employees at full price.
CMQ now has more staff able to step in and keep production flowing when qualified personnel are offsite or overseas, removing the bottleneck that used to form around whoever happened to be in the workshop that week.
The business also has a repeatable pathway through Major Training and MSQ to qualify new employees as they join.
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 must 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 dogging, confined space, 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 CMQ Engineering.
Contact Major Training today to find out if your business and team qualify for funded training on 1300 790 822.
