Lead contractors on Canberra's light rail project will be required to engage local businesses and workers under changes to the ACT Government's procurement process.
The proposed Capital Metro rail line from Gungahlin to the city centre is expected to create 3,500 jobs during construction.
Sustainable Development Minister Simon Corbell said the tender process would ensure most of the jobs go to locals.
"We want to make sure there's a fair share for local contractors, for local employers and for local workers," he said.
The Government's procurement policy also aims to help Canberra's construction sectors prepare for the project.
"It's about identifying where the gaps are and how that can be managed through forward planning, education and the skills training sectors," he said.
"How we identify opportunities for specific workplace groups and how we get participation, particularly from young people who are long-term unemployed, as well as older workers and those facing downturns in other parts of their industry."
Mr Corbell said the policy would not stop the Government achieving value for money in the tendering process.
"You can have competitive bids that still deliver local content and local jobs," he said.
Light rail could grow local skills base: Master Builders Association
The Government's push to secure jobs for Canberrans comes after an independent assessment cast doubt on the benefits of the project.
The Centre for International Economics found although the project may create jobs, many of those may need to come from overseas and interstate because of the particular skills required.
"It is efficient for the ACT Government to source inputs for capital works projects from best-value sources, rather than choosing more costly options simply because they are from within the ACT," the report reads.
But John Miller from the Master Builders Association said bottom line costs should not be the only consideration.
"If we don't do everything we can to drive our businesses and industry, and give them an opportunity to grow and develop, how are they ever going to compete into the future?" he said.
"Going after a cheap price, so to speak, could be at the expense of local industry and business development, and employment, and have further downstream impacts on the local economy."
Mr Miller acknowledged some workers would need to be brought in for the project.
"Light rail is a highly specialised area and it would be expected that there would be some expertise needed to be brought in," he said.
"But there are many components to the project that would represent opportunity for local business to work alongside some of those experts to grow our skills and knowledge base.
"With light rail, we're talking about something that's a 20-, 30-, 40-year program so to be able to develop our skills to deliver more of that into the future is really important."
In the past, many of Canberra's major construction projects have involved interstate and international procurements.
But Mr Miller was confident the new policy would make a difference.
"Particularly at this time, every opportunity to keep employment local and dollars in the city is very important to us," he said.
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