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{{propApi.successMessage}} {{region}} Change locationHIA welcomes apprentice incentive
HIA welcomes apprentice incentive
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“The five $2,000 incentive payments staggered throughout the course of an apprenticeship in the residential building industry will support the retention of an apprentice and combat the concerning non-completion rates we continue to see.
“Increasing the living away from home allowance could also see greater activity in regional areas that struggle to attract key housing trades.
“While incentive payments are a key piece to addressing skills shortages, it is just one tool in the toolkit government has to address this issue and make the delivery of housing a priority,” Ms Martin continued.
“The Strategic Review of the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System released today clearly acknowledged the complexity of the problem. The Report made 34 recommendations, many of which focused on supporting employers including the role group training organisations have in supporting small and medium business (SME) to hire apprentices. The Report outlined that 60 per cent of apprentices are taken on by SMEs.
“Retention rates are also much better for apprentices through industry based mentoring programs, including group training organisations, where pastoral care is a key aspect. Mentors can offer support and guidance to young people entering the workforce.
“We need to attract more people to careers in the construction industry, we need to ensure that there are enough employers creating the employment opportunities and providing the on-site work experience, and we need well-resourced VET providers delivering high quality training.
“HIA’s All Hands On Deck found that if Australia is to reach the Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes in the next five years there needs to be an injection of 83,000 trades people into the workforce.
“The residential building industry currently employs approximately 278,000 tradies across the twelve key trade occupations required for home building. The trades workforce needs to grow by at least 30 per cent to meet the Accord’s goals. That is over 83,000 additional tradies.
“We can only make housing a priority if we have a workforce capable of building the homes we need to reduce the barriers to home ownership,” concluded Ms Martin.
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Signs of a pulse in Canberra building approvals
Building approvals for dwellings in Canberra for the year to the end of March have shown some signs that the market may be turning the corner but still remain well below government targets.
Low volume of home building but labour shortages linger
“Australia has just seen its two weakest years of new home commencements in over a decade, meaning these ongoing shortages of skilled trades are not being caused by home building activity,” stated HIA Chief Economist, Tim Reardon.
Building approvals strengthen in March quarter
“There were 48,620 new homes approved for construction in the first quarter of 2025, up by 20.8 per cent on a year earlier,” stated HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt.
New Government must put housing as first order of business
“The Housing Industry Association (HIA) calls on the newly elected Federal Government to make housing a first-order priority from day one, any delay or political grandstanding will only deepen the nation’s housing crisis,” HIA Managing Director Jocelyn Martin said today.