Read the full story: Apprenticeship numbers at record high but fears rife for ageing tradie workforce and recession recovery.
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The apprenticeship scheme does need oversight to get away from dodgy employers who don’t do the paperwork necessary for apprentices to become qualified.
My partner is an industrial electrician. He was poached from one job, started training to become an engineer while doing the business’ electrical work, and the boss there never did the paperwork for my partner to qualify.
So he gave up trying to get another qualification and was subsequently poached by another company which had been looking for over a year for an electrician.
[His] income [is] well over $100,000. But my cousin works for himself as an electrician and earns $200,000-plus for [working] four days a week.
[There’s] good pay here if you can get the work. My dad needs to retire as an engineer at 76.
Sara K
If we can throw more money at it, we should be able to fix the problem. We’re currently spending $70 million more than we can afford as a Government a day, so an extra million or so here and there for this problem should be easy to solve.
Colin P
In reply to Colin P: Never thought I would say this, but apprenticeship/training is one area where the present lot in power have been successful. Conversely, the Opposition have [to shoulder] a lot of blame for letting neo-liberal ideology dictate that training/apprenticeships should be left entirely to “the market”.
This turned out to be a disaster when it came to trying to solve skills shortages.
Brian H
We are not in an economic crisis, we are in a cultural crisis which is negatively affecting nearly all corners of society (this article’s existence being testament).
This situation has most definitely been created by the current Government’s social agendas and failures. Where and if it will end… I really don’t know.
Shane M
When the construction industry is the punching bag for the economy, nothing will change.
We have to have a different mechanism (such as raising and lowering GST) rather than raising interest rates.
Whenever interest rates go up, the building industry stops. You can not effectively plan an industry with boom/bust cycles.
Kerry H
In reply to Kerry H: GST is a government tax. Interest rates are fees set by private businesses (banks).
Even if the Government lowered GST on building supplies, it wouldn’t stop banks from increasing interest rates, and the Government would have to cut services or increase some other tax to maintain income.
Gina S
It’s not helping either when young tradies trained partially at the taxpayers’ expense are heading straight across ‘the ditch’ for bigger money and better living conditions in Australia.
Gary W
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