Construction industry looks for faster work on skills

The Government’s sweeping plan to solve the construction worker shortage has been welcomed by the industry.

But some are questioning whether parts of it could be started earlier, and whether apprenticeship subsidies should be available to everyone.

A key plank of the Government’s new construction skills action plan outlined last week is Mana in Mahi, a subsidised apprenticeship scheme for young jobseekers.

Formerly the dole for apprenticeship scheme, it is hoped the Mana in Mahi or ‘‘Strength in Work’’ scheme will bring up to

4000 unemployed 18 to 24-yearolds into work. However, Warwick Quinn, chief executive of the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation, said the criteria did not recognise people who came into construction long after leaving school.

‘‘We think the subsidy should be universal,’’ he said.

Greg Wallace, chief executive of Master Plumbers, agreed, saying apprentices in his trade increasingly had a tertiary qualification and that some employers preferred older candidates.

He said the top plumbing apprentice last year had a commerce degree before changing direction. Another apprentice he knew of was 35 with three children.

Wallace said about a fifth of plumbing businesses took on an apprentice, and the evidence proved subsidies worked.

‘‘Lots of small businesses talk about the cost of the first year, and we have to change that percentage to get it up. We’re going to have to use incentives to do that.’’

The shortage was ‘‘only going to get worse and I think we should be pulling some levers now. If we wait six months, we’re going to be in deeper’’.

The Construction Strategy Group also warmly welcomed the Government’s plan to beef up the construction workforce through immigration, social welfare, education and government procurement.

But chairman Geoff Hunt said there was no need to wait for two of the cornerstone initiatives.

Employer subsidies for apprenticeships was one, and favouring companies that offered training in major Government projects was ‘‘a no brainer’’.

Other good moves were the introduction of ‘‘micro-credentials’’ and immigration changes to enable good employers to hire overseas workers more quickly.

Quinn said the introduction of micro-skills credentials was important because some construction jobs were very specialised.

Building and Construction Jenny Salesa said on Thursday that the action plan did have some non-age related training solutions, such as the promotion of ‘‘group training schemes’’.

There were already a handful of GTS schemes, mostly in the trades, which employed apprentices and contracted them out other businesses.

Micro-credentials were another solution.

‘‘Micro-credentials allow people who are working full-time and are wanting to get into construction, to study part-time especially at night time – there is no limit to that.’’