Wet trade shortage looms
A shortage of apprenticeships for wet trades is looming in WA's building industry and there are concerns the low take-up rate and the time taken to recruit new apprentices could trigger expensive delays for consumers and the industry.
Ralph Dawson, the executive director of WA's Construction Training Fund, said of the industry's apprentices, there were just 300 bricklayers, 120 tilers and 80 plasterers compared with 1200 apprentice plumbers and 1200 apprentice carpenters.
"The problem we are now facing is in the wet trades and, in most cases, these are at the front end of the building process," Mr Dawson said. "Every trade relies on the other trades to make sure projects run smoothly."
On top of the $10,000 subsidy for apprenticeships in the building industry, the Training Fund has added an extra $4000 to employers as the base subsidy for a wet trade apprenticeship.
"There's still an opportunity to crank things up and get more kids into the industry but it will require an effort," Mr Dawson said. "There's also a confidence issue. Subcontractors won't want to take on an apprentice unless they have consistency of work."
Speaking at a joint Master Builders Australia and Australian Institute of Building conference, Mr Dawson said the Training Fund's new VET In Schools Pathway Program, which prepares year 11 and 12 students for apprenticeships by providing a third of their off-the-job training and 200 hours of work experience, was helping to offset employer claims about lack of productivity for first-year apprentices.
As well as calls for more apprentices, there were also calls for higher apprentice wages.
Kelvin Ryan, the executive general manager at BGC Residential said it was time to challenge the notion that apprentices should earn low wages.
"We hire receptionists out of school and pay them $40,000 to $60,000 when in fact they're also in training," he said. "Every young person we hire is in training. It's pretty de-motivating for a kid who is on $24,000 a year when he is laying bricks as good as the guy on the next site who is getting $1.50 a brick."
Robert Shaw, the president of Master Builders WA, agreed.
"The industry needs to change its view and I believe we may need to take a bit of a loss to get a gain," Mr Shaw said.
"To get young people in we have to pay them a reasonable rate, otherwise they just won't come."
As well as low recruitment levels, the industry is also dealing with an ageing workforce.
We may need to take a bit of a loss to get a gain."Master Builders WA's Robert Shaw
