CEO Update: Jobs and Skills in Focus
Posted
The Federal Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit is poised to bring together key stakeholders including unions, employers, communities and governments to address shared economic challenges. The Summit is a precursor for the development of an Employment White Paper which will focus on:
- Productivity
- Increasing wages
- Job security
- Employment opportunities
- Skills shortages
- Migration
- Climate jobs
- Closing the gender divide; and
- Vocational education and training.
Master Builders estimates the building and construction industry will need 477,000 workers to enter the industry in the next four and a half years to meet forecast growth and replacement. 200,000 of these workers will be in the trades, with current apprentice completion rates below 60 per cent, around 350,000 apprentices will need to commence to attain 200,000 completions.
We have four key policy priorities for jobs and skills in 2022-23 and beyond:
- Establish a Building and Construction Industry Cluster: to lead workforce planning and training development
- Clarify and address current and future workforce needs: so the industry can attract, train and retain workers
- Improve workforce mobility: so workers can undertake comparable work anywhere in Australia
- Improve transparency in VET funding and governance: to incentivise quality and improve value for money
Today, Master Builders ACT CEO Michael Hopkins is participating in a lead up event to the national summit. On Monday 29 August, we have invited members from all sectors to join us to workshop solutions to the labour shortages specifically in the ACT building and construction industry.
We will update all members the outcomes of these important forums over the coming weeks.
