Skills shortage continues to impact the Australian construction industry – a vital contributor to the country's GDP and economic growth – with just a little over half of trade apprentices completing their training.

While the Australian Apprenticeship System delivers a pipeline of skilled, trained individuals to the construction industry, apprenticeship completion rates remain a key area of concern. National data reveals that just 54 per cent of trade apprentices who started in 2017 completed by the end of 2021, down from 57 per cent of those who started a year earlier; one in three now drops out in their first year.

“Given the critical skills shortage facing the industry, continually investing in attraction and retention solutions that support employers and apprentices is imperative,” says Melissa Stanford, managing director of Add Staff Group.

“We need to look at the issue collectively and consider the role of the employer, the apprentice and the VET industry holistically. As an example, a mentorship program can help connect apprentices with industry specialists who can provide them with guidance and support, but this requires employers to either have the capacity to run a program internally or to actively engage with an external provider such as Add Staff.”

Flexible working arrangements could make the construction industry more attractive to aspiring apprentices seeking work-life balance, says Stanford. “From an industry perspective, normalising the conversation around flexible working arrangements can create a competitive advantage for employers seeking to attract and retain apprentices within their business.”

Another way is to provide additional training and development opportunities that would help apprentices develop the skills they need to be successful in their careers. Making them aware of clear career progression pathways will also help them consider a future in the construction industry.

Even during candidate selection for apprenticeships, it’s important for aspirants to understand the trade and apprenticeship commitments, which will help improve retention rates, and create a more sustainable workforce for the construction industry in future.

“As an industry, it is important we are creating an attractive industry for candidates to be part of, and following a recruitment process that sets apprentices up for success,” concludes Stanford.

Image: Getty Images

Branko Miletic

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