Women could be encouraged to take up an apprenticeship as Australia battles a serious shortage of construction professionals.
The Housing Industry Association says Australia does not have enough carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers or bricklayers.
Very few women are training to become traders and their percentage is low, in the single digits.
With construction costs soaring, Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor has commissioned a review of apprenticeships to see “whether the current system is creating a training environment that encourages women, people from First Nations, people with disabilities and people from regional, rural and remote communities to undertake apprenticeships. and practices.
Women could be encouraged to take up an apprenticeship as Australia battles a serious shortage of construction professionals (pictured, Melbourne staircase maker Paige Hunter).
Women interning in the construction sector are a very small minority, according to Australian Taxation Office data.
Only 21 women were training to be bricklayers in the 2020-21 financial year, representing 1.3 per cent of the 1,670, mainly young people, who learned to mix mortar and build a wall.
Of Australia’s 15,901 apprentice plumbers, only 232 (1.5 per cent) were women.
Of the carpenter and cabinetmaker apprentices, only 646 were women out of a total of 29,714, that is, 2.2 percent.
Australia had only 49 apprentice tilers who were women, representing just 3.7 per cent of the 1,321 young people training to build bathrooms and kitchens.
As far as electrician apprentices are concerned, women constituted only 1,364 or 4.5 percent of the 30,412 apprentices.
Former Fair Work Commission chair Iain Ross and former Department for Education secretary Lisa Paul are tasked with accepting submissions until May 15.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised in August to build 1.2 million “well-located homes” over five years.
But the Housing Industry Association, in a pre-budget presentation published in January, questioned whether that was possible.
“This shortage will only be exacerbated by the expected increase in construction activity driven by the federal government’s commitment to build 1.2 million homes over the next five years,” he said.
The HIA noted that skills shortages were widespread as construction companies struggled to become profitable.
“Skills shortages are being faced in all facets of the residential construction industry,” he said.
‘This includes construction professionals, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, bricklayers, etc., as well as apprentices, laborers, construction and project managers, safety specialists and supervisors.
“The aging workforce and the increasing complexities and conditions of managing and operating a profitable business are also motivating more people to leave the industry year after year.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised in August to build 1.2 million “well-located homes” over five years.
But the Housing Industry Association, in a pre-budget presentation published in January, questioned whether that was possible.
“This shortage will only be exacerbated by the expected increase in construction activity driven by the federal government’s commitment to build 1.2 million homes over the next five years,” he said.
The HIA noted that skills shortages were widespread as construction companies struggled to become profitable.
“Skills shortages are being faced in all facets of the residential construction industry,” he said.
‘This includes construction professionals, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, bricklayers, etc., as well as apprentices, laborers, construction and project managers, safety specialists and supervisors.
“The aging workforce and the increasing complexities and conditions of managing and operating a profitable business are also motivating more people to leave the industry year after year.”
The Housing Industry Association says Australia does not have enough carpenters, electricians, plumbers, tilers or bricklayers (pictured, a construction site in Sydney)