Govt tips in $21m for construction apprentices

The state government believes a $21.5 million investment to support 150 new construction apprenticeships will boost the sector in Western Australia, but concedes there are continued challenges with course completion.

The investment, announced by Premier Roger Cook and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk this morning, will bring the number of government subsidised building and construction apprenticeships to 600, since investment began in 2022.

The initiative is designed to support small and medium businesses to take on apprentices, offering up to $135,000 for a four-year training stint to employers in a bid to ease the state’s skilled labour shortage.

Mr Cook said the initiative was the latest in a series of efforts by the government to foster a new generation of skilled trades.

“We’re doing everything we can to build more houses throughout WA,” he said.

“Ensuring we have a pipeline of skilled local workers for our building and construction industry is absolutely crucial to those efforts and means local businesses can get on with building homes.”

The government currently pays an incentive of $2,000, along with a $500 contribution to work equipment through the Construction Training Fund, to encourage construction trades to stick at their apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships typically take four years to complete, but Ms McGurk said third and fourth-year apprentices were often productive on-site when it came to project delivery.

She conceded completion was a challenge for apprenticeships across the country, but said WA was batting above its average when it came to retention.

“Across the country all training ministers, as well as the federal government, are focused on completions,” Ms McGurk said.

“We know this is an issue.

“In WA our completions are a little bit better than the other states, we’re probably looking at about two-thirds of people are finishing their training and taking out their qualification.

“It is a challenge.”

The state government has invested $87.8 million into its Group Training Organisation Wage Subsidy program for construction apprenticeships since 2022.