Building for future skills base

Growing numbers of businesses in Western Australia are becoming involved in workforce training in response to the state’s skills shortage. 

Several companies have developed their own training schemes, while others have collaborated with the Tafe sector to gain some input into training content. 

The building industry has led the way in creating its own training centres, with the Alcock Brown-Neaves Group’s subsidiary, ABN Training, the first builder-run organisation of its type in WA.

The group, which was founded in 2004, has a pool of 300 apprentices who are allocated to the company’s sub-contractors.

ABN Training general manager Steven Cook said the group, which costs $1 million a year to run, had combated a decline in the Alcock Brown-Neaves Group’s apprentice base.

“We had lost control over attrition rates. The sense of belonging to the company did not exist under the previous scheme,” he said.

“It had become a revolving door – there was a lot of money being spent [on training] and no return.”

Summit Homes Group also runs a group apprentice training scheme, which it introduced a year ago.

The company, which has 30 apprentices, is aiming to increase its apprentice pool to 50 this financial year, and 75 the following year.

Summit Group Training manager David Helliwell said the company had realised there was a looming shortage of workers in the building and construction industry, and had established its own program after a Tafe-based pre-apprenticeship course in Midland failed to attract enough students to be viable.

Another recently established program is The Shed, which last month won a prime minister’s partnership award for training.

Located in Butler, the purpose-built centre provides trade skills training for students in school years 11 and 12, and is a partnership between Satterley Property Group, West Coast Tafe and Swan Tafe.

Satterley Property Group community development coordinator Robert Wallman said The Shed was established after the company had identified a significant unmet demand for wet trades, such as bricklaying.

“We envisage this project could be picked up and replicated elsewhere in the metropolitan area or the state,” Mr Wallman told WA Business News. 

Another major partnership between industry and government is the Australian Centre for Energy and Process Training (ACEPT), due to open next February.

The $21 million centre, located near Henderson, is a joint initiative between Challenger Tafe and industry groups, and will offer training in process technology and engineering.

More than half of the centre’s funding was provided by the federal government, with a further $6 million contributed by the state government and $2 million from industry.

Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association director Don Sanders said the centre would house about 350 students, although its capacity would increase if it were to become a full-time operation.

Mr Sanders said the intention was to create an internationally recognised training centre servicing companies overseas.

“ACEPT will increase our training capacity from a certificate two level to certificate four level, meaning we’ll have a world-class training facility,” he said.

Another successful industry-led training group is The Caterpillar Institute, which has about 340 apprentice heavy vehicle operators.

The institute was established in 2000 as a joint venture between Westrac and Caterpillar, before industry demand resulted in the group becoming a private registered training organisation.

It services 20 WA companies and trains a further 100 students in post-trade technical training.