Trade careers a great choice

Don’t knock a trade until you try it, Melanie Burgess writes

MORE Australians are understanding the appeal of a trade career, with increasing numbers pursuing these lines of work.

Almost 75,000 people commenced a trade apprenticeship in the 12 months to March 31 – up 4.2 per cent on the previous year, new data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research reveals.

The increase was particularly strong in Tasmania, where commencements were up 20 per cent, as well as in Western Australia (9.9 per cent), South Australia and New South Wales (each 8.5 per cent).

Renewed popularity of trade careers may be the result of strong employment forecasts for many jobs.

By 2023, Federal Government data predicts need for an extra 28,300 food trade workers (up 14.2 per cent), 25,800 construction trade workers (up 6.5 per cent) and 17,800 engineering, ICT (information and communication technology) and science technicians (up 7.1 per cent).

NECA chief executive Suresh Manickam said he is pleased the misconception that trades are a poor career choice is shifting.

“This has damaged the prospects of young people as well as the wider economy,” he said.

“We have seen too many people coming out of university with worthless degrees or

‘‘ YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU WILL END UP... BERNADETTE REYNOLDS

an oversupply of certain skills, such as law, where there are far more graduates than opportunities in the legal profession.”

SEEK salary data reveals many trades pay more than office jobs, too. Ads for electricians and air-conditioning and refrigeration technicians, for example, offer an average salary of $78,391 and $77,380 on SEEK, respectively.

This is more than the average bank worker ($72,400), journalist ($69,133) or paralegal ($67,225).

Bernadette Reynolds, talent and culture manager at Pullman Cairns International, said she hopes the next generation understand how many great careers do not require a university degree.

“For chefs there is so much opportunity out there to be creative, to travel and to move into more senior roles,” she said.

“You never know where you will end up – we have lots of trade-qualified chefs who are now general managers of hotels.”

Pullman Cairns International, which was named Large Employer of the Year at the Queensland Training Awards, employs 25 chefs as well as an engineering team that includes a painter, electricians and a carpenter.