Brock set on carpentry career
Apprentice completes training
COMPLETING his carpentry apprenticeship last month makes Brock Philp part of 70 per cent of the region’s construction apprentices to successfully complete their training.
Mr Philp spent the past four years completing his apprenticeship with Bryant Brothers Building Group, operated by Jason and Matthew Bryant, after deciding to switch from a career as a brick layer.
New statistics from Construction Skills Queensland 2017 Apprentice Annual report shows the completion rate in Toowoomba and the Darling Downs was higher than the state average of 64%.
The 70% completion rate also exceeds the 64% of people who complete a bachelor-level university degree.
The statistics revealed showed there are 1700 construction apprentices in the region and that the industry took on 3.9 new apprentices for every 100
❝I was never going to be working inside. I like working outside and going to different places. — Brock Philp
workers, again higher than the state average of 3.3 new apprentices.
“I had the opportunity to work with Matt and Jason and was just giving them a hand when they asked if I wanted to do an apprenticeship,” Mr Philp said.
Mr Philp said he saw being a carpenter as a
long-term career.
“I was never going to be working inside. I like working outside and going to different places,” he said.
Mr Philp said Matt and Jason were the best bosses he could ask for.
He said some employers used their apprentices as cheap labour rather than to teach them but he felt as if
he had been guided every step of the way.
Owner Jason Bryant said the company was in its fifth year and in that time three people had successfully completed their apprentices.
They still have a first-year and a second-year apprentice undertaking their certificate III in carpentry.
“We don’t use contractors, we have got our own crew, so we like to train them ourselves and teach them the way we do things,” Mr Bryant said.
“There has been a fair bit of inquiry around in the past 12 months, people calling and emailing looking for apprenticeships.”
Mr Bryant said when he was first starting out in the industry he had been lucky to find an apprenticeship quite quickly and through his positive experience wanted to return the favour by teaching others.
“The region does have a high completion rate. I think that is because work is fairly stead in Toowoomba,” he said.
“It is not a boom and bust situation, there is always work there.”
The Construction Skills Queensland report indicated 6200 construction apprentices would complete their training in Queensland in 2018 which exceeded the number of tradespeople required by industry. However that was not a problem, as it helped to replace people who left the industry.
It also showed carpenters, electricians and plumbers accounted for two thirds of apprentices in the industry.