Build Australia’s Post

The Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns about an increasing skills shortage in our industry. What can we do to stop this? Below are two recommendations: 🔷 Invest in training - Upskill the workforce via apprenticeships, vocational training and continuous professional development. 🔷 Collaborate across sectors - The public and private sectors should work together to create a sustainable source of skilled people. This article has more information: https://bit.ly/3KHdayU #UpskillWorkforce #ContinuousProfessionalDevelopment #ConstructionIndustry #SustainableWorkforce

The Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns about an increasing skills shortage in our industry. What can we do to stop this? Below are two recommendations: 🔷 Invest in training - Upskill the workforce via apprenticeships, vocational training and continuous professional development. 🔷 Collaborate across sectors - The public and private sectors should work together to create a sustainable source of skilled people. This article has more information: https://bit.ly/3KHdayU #UpskillWorkforce #ContinuousProfessionalDevelopment #ConstructionIndustry #SustainableWorkforce

Tonight, I provided testimony to the Standing Committee on Natural Resources to reiterate that construction of the 980 kilometre Trans Mountain Pipeline is a major nation-building project which brings Canadian energy to pacific markets. The successful completion of this project is an engineering and construction wonder – one that has overcome some of the most challenging terrain, harsh and even unprecedented weather conditions, and complex regulatory and compliance requirements. Canada's Building Trades Unions believes that any time the Government of Canada makes an investment, that it should come with strong labour conditions: good wages and benefits – prevailing wages – as well as apprenticeship requirements, and local hiring obligations. These measures aren’t ‘nice to haves’ – they are essential to major project delivery. Strong apprenticeship requirements ensure we build future skilled trades labour supply, and strong wages and benefits ensure that workers are attracted to major projects when and where they are needed. They also ensure that Canadian construction workers see real benefits – and are adequately compensated for their work. Thank you to the Committee for the invitation to provide evidence on behalf of our members.

Eligible training organisations can now apply for a grant of up to $250,000, to contribute towards new equipment and better training facilities that align to South Australia’s priority training needs. 💪 The South Australian Government’s Equipment and Capital Grants program is a $9M investment over three years to support TAFE SA and not-for-profit and industry-based providers to invest in contemporary infrastructure, equipment, and technology. Grants are now available for the 2024-2025 round and will be aligned to emerging and priority areas such as construction trades, defence and manufacturing, clean energy, education, care, and technology - as identified in the recently released South Australian Jobs and Skills Outlook. Read more 👉 https://ow.ly/XEh650TRj5A

Training 1 million workers for #cleanenergy jobs by 2035 is set to boost economic growth in 22 states. With programs like New York’s $2.3 million investment in offshore wind and New Mexico’s plan to train 2,000 workers by 2026, the Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative is driving local economies.

The Civil Contractors Federation SA initial response to State Budget & event links to find out more. The Civil Contractors Federation SA (CCF SA) welcomes the $25.6 billion investment into public infrastructure, however focus now shifts as the Government appears to have held over its commitment to new housing water and sewer infrastructure, deferring to the Essential Service Commissions (ESCOSA) final determination in June. With a SA Water capital investment of $764.5m, down on last year’s budget, it’s unclear where the water and sewer capital investment is to deliver the ambitious and promised housing targets. Whilst CCF SA understands this, given the magnitude of capital investment required to support housing targets, CCF SA would be surprised if ESCOSA can support the full capital amount required to support existing and new housing goals. The Premier’s Housing Road Map event on 25 June is now a heavy focus. The CCF SA have also been advocating for a $400m investment year on year to support maintenance of our $30billion road network. Although the budget offers Road Safety Maintenance of $35m over 3 years, and $168m on the New Road Safety Program this commitment, although positive, is simply not enough. “Two years ago, 2,000kms of the 13,000kms sealed roads under Department of Infrastructure and Transport care, received a rating of ‘very poor.’ To fix those roads back in 2022 would have cost $1.9billion. Given that roads are in a perpetual state of needing repair because of usage, common sense dictates that appropriate annual investment is needed to keep ahead of the curve in regards to road maintenance. “Fast forward to 2024, we have today received some funding for road safety, but the maintenance back log remains and grows daily, impacting safety and productivity. Our roads are critical to our community and economic success, these assets must be maintained, costs will only increase exponentially when roads are neglected,” she said. Starting from 1 July 2024 the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System will enter Phase 2. Given that the Civil Apprenticeships continue to be unrecognised, and do not appear on the Federal Priority List, under this new framework, Civil Apprentices after 1 July will now no longer receive Federal training support payments, and their employers will not receive any hiring incentives. Additionally, Civil Apprentices will not be eligible for the New Energy Apprentice Support Payment and female civil apprentices will also miss out on new Tailored Support Frameworks support. Want more information, book today; Monday, 17 June - State Budget Debrief and Industrial Relations Briefing - https://loom.ly/i42swSU Tuesday, 25 June - The Premier’s Housing Road Map Event - https://loom.ly/EzzwDJk

ICYMI: Massive cash boost to support the building and construction industry 👷🏽♀️ The Cook Labor Government is investing $52.3million through the 2024/25 State Budget to encourage more apprentices (like Tyson and Sam from Kardan Construction into jobs within the construction industry and alleviate cost of living pressures for apprentices. The Construction Training Fund will offer $5000 payments to eligible building and construction apprentices over the course of their training. We’re also increasing the employer base grant to $15,000 for all third and fourth year apprentices - to boost financial support for employers of construction apprentices.

As an organisation dedicated to mentoring apprentices, we're keenly watching the proposed changes to Te Pūkenga and vocational education and training (VET) in Aotearoa. The current consultation discusses transitioning to independent regional Polytechnics and a new funding model, among other significant updates. These changes will shape the future of VET, impacting employers, apprentices, and the industry for years to come. 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘆: The implications of these proposals for our apprentices and the broader industry are profound. We encourage everyone involved in VET to review the proposed changes and make your voices heard. 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Make sure to provide your feedback before the consultation closes on 12 September. Let's ensure that the future of vocational training aligns with the needs of us all.  Click here to read more about the proposals and submit your feedback: https://lnkd.in/ggte5rhC

The #BESAIndustryAwards are open and accepting entries now. Celebrating excellence in building services, rewarding the most talented apprentices and employers. Last year Dalkia UK won Big Budget Project of the Year for the work they completed on DSA6 Wakefield Distribution Hub. Open to all UK projects with a budget value over £500K, that achieved practical completion, or equivalent, between Jan 2023 and Jan 2024. This category celebrates the best of building services, and the entry should reflect that. Entries should consider, 👉How Net Zero has been considered. 👉They should also be able to provide evidence of how the requirements of the Building Safety Act were considered and implemented. 👉They should also provide details of health and safety performance as well as competence and compliance. 👉Showcase how best practice and innovation has been used. Get the recognition you deserve and enter here: https://lnkd.in/eX-X4aQZ

The 2024 Federal budget is in. It is good to see a focus on residential construction. We asked for attention to skills and training we asked for even greater funding towards social housing and infrastructure. Is it new money or existing? Will it be enough? No is the answer to the second question. Money and focus help but all layers of government must work together to reduce red tape, reduce tax and fees on housing and improve systems.