TasTAFE at the heart of jobs boom

Grant Dreher says the national building boost is providing great opportunities for young tradies just starting out in work life

AS we move into a skills-led economic recovery, Australia is waking up to what those of us who work in vocational education and training already knew – a trades qualification is a great first choice career option.

Carpentry apprentice Sophie Russell was named Apprentice of the Year at the Tasmanian Training Awards this month. The awards celebrate the best and brightest in vocational education and training across the state.

As a child, Sophie loved building stuff. An apprenticeship gave her a path to turn her passion into a career. She is now qualified and continues to be employed by VEC Civil Engineering who first put her on as an apprentice. Sophie supports and mentors aspiring carpenters, guiding them through studying and giving them tips on work/life balance. She is to represent Tasmania in the Apprentice of the Year at the Australian Training Awards in November.

Ben James represented Tasmania in carpentry at the WorldSkills National Championships in Perth, WA, with seven other TasTAFEtrained apprentices and former apprentices. Ben started making things with wood as a child, excelled at woodwork in college and did a work placement with Mak Builders in Hobart. He’s now employed by the company.

At just 24, Ben has done an apprenticeship, including gaining a Certificate III in Carpentry through TasTAFE, and is qualified with a supportive employer. He has been earning while learning, has had the chance to test his skills on the national stage, and has built his own house.

Thanks to a trade qualification through TasTAFE, young people like Sophie and Ben are working in their dream jobs. They are just two of almost 6000 apprentices being trained at TasTAFE each year, with more than 1000 n building and construction.

Construction apprentices learn on the job in workplaces as well as at TasTAFE where they are trained by teachers with backgrounds in the industries apprentices work in. Our vocational training supports what they learn onsite and gives them a chance to learn parts of their trade they may otherwise not get to experience in a workplace.

At TasTAFE we offer a certificate courses, skill sets, licencing, and pre-job and pre-apprentice training in bricklaying, carpentry and joinery, concreting, painting and decorating, glass and glazing, tiling, wall and ceiling lining, construction, resources and infrastructure.

The diversity of our training spans a Certificate II, foundation skills for people looking to gain an apprenticeship, through to Certificate III apprenticeship qualifications and beyond to areas like a Diploma of Building Design.

As well as providing technical skills to get a job, vocational training in trades equips people with enterprise skills employers are looking for. They’re learning skills like communication and teamwork.

Trades apprentices complete their qualification with years of training and work experience under their toolbelts. They know what it’s like to work with others as part of a team, deal with customers or clients, meet deadlines and deliver a highquality product. These are all skills you learn in a handson, vocational qualification.

Vocational education and training covers seven out of 10 of Australia’s fastest growing jobs. More than 77 per cent of VET graduates are employed after training and the median full-time income of a VET graduate is $55,000.

Figures released during National Skills Week last month show 113,700 more workers will be needed in the building and construction sector in Australia by 2024. That’s an increase of 9.7 per cent in bricklaying, carpentry, painting, plastering, plumbing and electrical.

According to the National Skills Commission’s Labour Market Dashboard for Tasmania, construction is one of the state’s top five employing industries. There is huge variety in the careers on offer in the building and construction sector and vocational training sets people up with the right skills to make the most of the current opportunities.

Undertaking a trades qualification gives young people the skills they need to get a head-start, a chance to earn while they learn, gain industry experience and gain a nationally recognised qualification.