Young Australians urged to consider a trade

Young Australians and the ir parents are being asked to look at the benefits of trades training in the housing industry. 

The Housing Industry Association says the career prospects for young people in the housing industry are better than the y have ever been and parents and students should consider the benefits the industry has to offer.

HIA’s Senior Executive Director Industry Policy, Chris Lamont, said the industry is facing a severe skills shortage and the re is a need to train more young Australians in the industry. 

“Many young Australians believe that a secure career is best attained through a university degree and the refore the y overlook the benefits of a trade,” Mr Lamont said.

The industry has been experiencing skills shortages for almost a decade as strong economic growth, population growth and changing household demographics continues to drive the demand for housing.

“Today, students seeking a career in the industry have more choice the n ever before with so many career options available,” he said. “To ensure the industry is able to keep pace we need more apprentices and trainees and more support from employers willing to give young people a start.

“With strong demand for skilled tradespeople, the number of different career options and the eventual opportunity to start your own business, the re are so many exciting rewards on offer within the industry.”

In addition to the rewards of a trade to aspiring job seekers, HIA is also calling for fur the r reforms to trades training, advocating shorter, more specialised training that better meets the needs of the industry. 

“We are seeking this approach because it will better address existing and future industry demand,” Mr Lamont said. “New, specialised qualifications provide entrants with a stepping stone into the industry without the need to sign up to a four-year apprenticeship.”

HIA has established the HIA YouthBUILD Foundation, which provides school students considering a career in the industry with the opportunity to work side-by-side with qualified tradespeople on real projects.  The success of this program speaks for itself with 98 per cent of students involved in the program securing employment within two years of leaving school.