Newly released figures from Inland Rail show that local businesses and workers from Beveridge to Parkes are reaping the benefits of specialised training and upskilling courses delivered by Inland Rail, with the courses helping them gain business and jobs on the project.
Inland Rail is aiming to complete the Beveridge to Parkes sections of the project by 2027, so the focus of the skills and training programs is to ensure local workers and businesses are ready to help Inland Rail successfully deliver that objective.
Latest data shows that, with construction progressing strongly in Victoria on the Beveridge to Albury (B2A) section and in New South Wales on the Stockinbingal to Parkes (S2P) section, a further $30 million has already been spent with local businesses in 2024, taking total spending with local businesses on the project to $440 million.
Local workers have also been benefitting from Inland Rail construction, with a further 700 workers employed on the project this year, taking the total number of workers employed on Inland Rail to 5,300, including 2,600 local workers.
Since Inland Rail construction began in 2019, the Inland Rail Skills Academy has held 84 workshops and over 160 mentoring sessions across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland – upskilling 620 local businesses to be able to be able to work on a major project, including accessing potential opportunities on delivering Inland Rail.
In addition, over 420 work-ready individuals, including 260 First Nations people, have taken part in civil construction and rail industry courses since 2019, setting them up for work on Inland Rail or other major projects.
Local businesses in New South Wales and Victoria can learn how to supply to Inland Rail by visiting the website.
For construction job opportunities, visit Inland Rail’s construction contractors website (Albury to Illabo and Stockinbingal to Parkes sections, southern NSW) \
Stephen Jones, Inland Rail Executive Director Program Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability, spoke about the importance of supporting local businesses.
“Inland Rail is bringing benefits to regional communities throughout construction, with local content key to the program’s success,” he said.
“A major focus of Inland Rail has been to build skills in communities along the alignment, so local communities can participate and benefit from in this once-in-a-generation project and others in the future.”
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