CONSTRUCTION TRAINING FUND
THE BUILDERS CHOICE Training & Development
How the Construction Training Fund is making it easier to hire mature-age apprentices and trainees
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xtra wage costs are a significant obstacle for employers hiring older trainees and apprentices. Federal and State subsidies are designed to entice construction and resources enterprises to recruit the next generation of skilled trades. But for many smaller contractors the wage gap is simply too great. In a bid to overcome this – and create a more diverse workforce – the Construction Training Fund has started a mature-age pilot program. The $3.44 million trial is targeting new trainees, hired after February 22, 2021, who are 21 or older. The idea is to reduce the wage bill for an employer. The wage-gap subsidy – up to $23,000 over three years – is expected to be a significant incentive to employ. And the pilot may encourage those over 21 to reconsider a career in construction and resources. Education Minister Sue Ellery says extra wages required for older workers have been a “major barrier”. “This new pilot program will help alleviate some of the additional wages costs faced by employers who might be considering (employing) a mature-aged apprentice,” Ms Ellery says. Construction Training Fund chairman Reg Howard-Smith says the trial is intended to create greater diversity in the workforce, particularly given the “strong pipeline of work” created by the State Government’s WA Recovery Plan. THE TEAM
Phone: (08) 9244 0100 www.ctf.wa.gov.au
32 The Builders Choice Magazine – March 2021
Top photo: Construction Training Fund chairman Reg Howard-Smith with CEO Tiffany Allen in the Construction Futures Centre in Belmont. Second photo: Primary school students on a journey of discovery about construction jobs in the Construction Futures Centre.
The mature-age wage subsidies paid to employers will be paid on top of the standard Construction Training Fund subsidies already paid. Employers who have successfully trained apprentices, trained and retained Aboriginal and female trainees and provided appropriate support are front-runners for extra funding. The mature-age funding is being directed to specific trades experiencing higher demand. They are brick and block laying; carpentry and joinery; civil construction (Certificate III traineeship); concreting; painting and decorating; plastering; plumbing and gasfitting; roof plumbing; wall and ceiling fixing; and wall and floor tiling. Construction Training Fund chief executive Tiffany Allen says the mature-age wage-gap pilot is just one of the ways in which the CTF wants to help employers train up the next generation. “We want to make it as easy as possible for them to have an apprentice,” Ms Allen says. “We hope this mature-age wage-gap pilot will make it easier to build a skilled workforce. “We want to work out how we can help employers train and support the next generation of skilled tradies. We can’t be a just-in time provider of skilled labour because it takes years to train
