Women could be encouraged to take up apprenticeships as Australia faces a serious shortage of construction traditions.
The Housing Industry Association says Australia doesn’t have enough carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers or bricklayers.
Very few women train to become tradies, with their numbers in the low single digits.
With construction costs soaring, Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor has ordered an inquiry into apprenticeships to see “whether the current system creates a training environment that supports women, First Nations people, people with disabilities and people encourages apprenticeships in regional, rural and remote communities. and internships’.
Women could be encouraged to take up apprenticeships as Australia faces a serious shortage of construction traditions (pictured is Melbourne stair maker Paige Hunter)
Women interning in the construction industry are a very small minority, based on Australian Taxation Office data.
In the 2020-2021 financial year, only 21 women trained as masons, representing 1.3 percent of the 1,670 mainly young people who learned how to mix mortar and build a wall.
Of the 15,901 apprentice plumbers in Australia, only 232 or 1.5 percent were women.
Of the apprentice carpenters and joiners, only 646 out of 29,714 were women – or 2.2 percent.
Australia had just 49 female apprentice tilers, making up just 3.7 percent of the 1,321 young people training to build bathrooms and kitchens.
When it came to apprentice electricians, women made up just 1,364 or 4.5 percent of the 30,412 trainees.
Former Fair Work Commission chairman Iain Ross and former Department of Education secretary Lisa Paul have been given the task of accepting entries until May 15.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged in August to build 1.2 million “well-located homes” in five years.
But the Housing Industry Association questioned whether that was possible in a pre-Budget submission published in January.
“These shortages will only be exacerbated by expected increased construction activity resulting from the federal government’s commitment to build 1.2 million homes over the next five years,” the report said.
The HIA noted that there were widespread skills shortages as construction companies struggled to be profitable.
“Skills shortages are faced in all facets of the housing sector,” the report said.
‘This includes on-site trades, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, masons, etc., as well as apprentices, workers, construction and project managers, safety specialists and supervisors.
‘An aging workforce and the increasing complexity and circumstances of running a profitable business are also motivating more people to leave the sector year after year.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged in August to build 1.2 million “well-located homes” in five years.
But the Housing Industry Association questioned whether that was possible in a pre-Budget submission published in January.
“These shortages will only be exacerbated by expected increased construction activity resulting from the federal government’s commitment to build 1.2 million homes over the next five years,” the report said.
The HIA noted that there were widespread skills shortages as construction companies struggled to be profitable.
“Skills shortages are faced in all facets of the housing sector,” the report said.
‘This includes on-site trades, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, masons, etc., as well as apprentices, workers, construction and project managers, safety specialists and supervisors.
‘An aging workforce and the increasing complexity and circumstances of running a profitable business are also motivating more people to leave the sector year after year.’
The Housing Industry Association says Australia doesn’t have enough carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers or bricklayers (pictured is a building site in Sydney)