The building industry has welcomed proposed changes to the apprenticeship system that will reduce and in some cases halve the period of time spent in training.
The building industry has welcomed proposed changes to the apprenticeship system that will reduce and in some cases halve the period of time spent in training.
The Gallop Government is hoping to introduce the new system from January next year to help the building industry deal with the acute shortage of skilled labour.
Under the proposed changes, people starting building and construction industry apprentice-ships, in areas such as bricklaying, carpentry, plastering and tile laying, will be able to complete their training in three years rather than four.
Alternatively, people can enter one of seven new residential building apprenticeships, which will require a smaller number of competencies and can therefore be completed in two years.
Education and Training Minister Ljiljanna Ravlich said the changes were long overdue.
“There is no reason that an apprenticeship has to be four years long,” she said.
“If someone has the skills and ability, they should be able to finish their training early and start earning a decent wage.”
The changes were recommended by the residential building industry working group, which was chaired by builder Dale Alcock and included employer and union representatives.
Four other industry working groups, representing the resources, automotive, metals and hospitality sectors, are working on their own apprenticeship reform programs.
Ms Ravlich said the proposed changes would be implemented in January, once employer and union representatives in the building industry had agreed on new awards for the shorter apprenticeships.
“The Gallop Government will do whatever it can to help these parties reach agreement,” she said.
The changes also require the Education Department to develop modified curricula for the apprenticeships.
Master Builders’ Association director Gavan Forster said he was pleased the government had made the changes.
He said the MBA’s recently introduced TradeStart program, which provided 10-week training programs for workers wanting to enter the building industry, would be put on-hold subject to the apprentice reforms proceeding.
Ms Ravlich had criticised Trade Start for compromising training quality. She said all apprenticeship training would continue to meet national standards, ensuring workers were competent and well skilled.
Mr Forster said the MBA may now develop training courses for white-collar occupations, such as estimating and scheduling, which were also facing shortages.
