Photo: twitter.com

Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan and Member for Albert Park Martin Foley were given a tour of the construction site today and met young workers employed on the $44 million project.

The five-storey prep to year 6 primary school will accommodate up to 525 students when it opens early next year.

The project has created around 75 construction jobs – including up to 37 opportunities for apprentices, trainees and cadets through the Labor Government’s Major Projects Skills Guarantee (MPSG).

The MPSG requires contractors on major infrastructure projects to ensure apprentices, trainees and cadets are responsible for at least 10 per cent of total labour hours.

The policy has already been applied to 20 major government projects, creating more than 1,300 employment opportunities for young workers.

South Melbourne Primary School was recently awarded the Future Project of the Year at the 2016 World Architecture Festival Awards in Berlin for its sustainable and energy-efficient design.

Victoria’s massive infrastructure pipeline is creating more than 50,000 jobs, with about 5,000 construction jobs to be created through school infrastructure alone.

The Labor Government will create and protect more local jobs under the next wave of industry policy reforms to be developed by the end of the year as part of the Victorian Jobs Partnership.

The Partnership will give Victorian workers the full benefits of our economy, and ensure we continue to buy local, build local and protect local jobs.