Construction may be king but apprentices hold the key: NECA
The rebound in Australia’s building and construction sector — primarily as a result of residential construction — is good news that has the potential to see Australia steadily grow, but there is more to be done, says the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA).
“Whilst it’s encouraging to see that we still have years of steady growth ahead of us, there are still a number of fundamentals that we need to get right if we want to make the most of what’s before us,” said Suresh Manickam, CEO of NECA.
He said one of those fundamentals is investment in our nation’s apprentices.
“The National Centre of Vocational Education Research has generated far too many reports highlighting the lag and decline in apprenticeship take-up, and the most recent figures from the March 2015 quarter are no exception,” said Manickam.
“As at March 31 2015, there were 319,700 apprentices and trainees in training — a decrease of 16.4% from the year before and 147,000 or 32% lower than the peak in training numbers back in March 2012.”
Another area of concern is the sharp fall in the number of mature-age apprentice commencements over the past three years.
“Apprenticeship commencements for 25–44 year olds have fallen from 30,600 to 13,600 over the last three years — a 55% drop — whilst for over 44-year-olds, there was a 71% decrease over the same period,” said Manickam.
“These figures highlight the need for greater wage subsidisation in order to encourage mature-age workers to take up a trade to help fill gaps in the jobs market. With the four-year investment that’s required for a small business to hire, train and employ a mature-age apprentice, increased support is critical.
“Given the projected increase demand for electrical workers in relation to the upswing in residential construction, actions are now required to head off a future skills shortage.
“Whilst the construction boom is currently the king, it’s investment in our apprentices that holds the key to the future success of the electrical contracting sector,” he added.
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