Building a Construction Career: Your Personal Information Toolkit

Despite decreasing apprenticeship commencements in the construction industry over the last few years, trades remain one of Australia’s highest paying and strongest growing workforces.

It’s physically demanding, challenging and incredibly rewarding work. On top of the personal satisfaction of staying fit, solving complex problems and watching your work come to life, as a tradesperson you’re also contributing to one of Australia’s most vital resources: infrastructure.

Apprenticeships can be tricky to come by, and even harder to stick out if you’re not prepared to work hard. Only 56.2% of trades apprentices actually complete their apprenticeship. This statistic is the reason Australia is experiencing crucial skill shortages in the industry, but ironically, it also creates your opportunity to step up and demonstrate your worth to future employers.

Before diving headlong into construction, you need to decide which field you want to start in.

Source: PayScale (based on experienced skill-level salary)

Job Outlook also has an extensive list of trades in the construction industry you can check out.

Even before we get into field-specific skills, like carpentry or plumbing, there are some general skills and qualities that will help you stand out to employers and allow you to excel on the job.

Let’s outline the role and responsibilities of carpenters, plumbers and construction managers. Carpentry and plumbing are both trades currently listed on the Additional Identified Skills Shortage list, meaning if you choose to start an apprenticeship in one of those areas you’re likely eligible for financial incentives.

Carpenter

Carpentry is a trade found mostly in the building and construction industry and is a versatile field of work. Carpenters construct and repair structures of wood, as well as other materials like fibreglass and plastic. Their work can range from erecting building frameworks to installing insulation, to creating cabinetry, windows and other fixtures.

Duties:

• Follow client blueprints and building plans
• Install various structures and fixtures
• Measure, cut and shape the various materials required
• Inspect and replace damaged structures, fixtures or frameworks
• Operate tools and machinery
• Provide direction to labourers

Plumber

Plumbing is another varied and broad field of construction, and they can work anywhere from residential, to commercial, to industrial sites. Plumbing isn’t just about working with installing and maintaining sewerage systems. It can also include the installation and maintenance of water supply systems, gas appliances, and cooling and heating systems, among other things.

Construction Manager

Construction management is a natural career progression for many people working in a trade. Many construction managers have cut their teeth through a trade apprenticeship and gained years of experience in that field before undertaking a higher-level building and construction course. A Certificate IV in Building and Construction or Diploma of Building and Construction (Building) are common next steps.

Construction managers are the most sought after professionals in construction, and lead a variety of projects, including civil engineering, commercial and residential, agriculture, institutional and industrial. On average, construction managers can make between $62k and $192k a year.

Once you’ve decided the industry you’re keen to work in, your next step is to find an apprenticeship.

To get started, you first need to find an employer to take you on and sign a formal training contract with them.

There are several ways to go about finding an apprenticeship:

• Meet with an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network Provider
• Find apprenticeships online & apply
• Use your industry contacts

Meet with an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network Provider

Getting in touch with an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network Provider or a Group Training Organisation (GTO) is a great way to gain additional support on your job hunt.

If you register with a GTO’s they actually become your direct employer, and you are then hosted out to a ‘host employer’, where you’ll complete work day-to-day. GTO’s often have a list of apprenticeship jobs to be filled, which can make your job search a lot easier.

Find Apprenticeships Online and Apply

Use Your Industry Contacts

You might be surprised to know that many apprenticeships aren’t advertised, and in fact, a hidden job market exists where roles are circulated through trade networks. If you have any contacts in the area of trade you want to get into, leverage them to get a job interview. These contacts could be friends, family, or even acquaintances, but it’s best if you can get in touch with someone who can vouch for your character, work ethic and willingness to learn.

A Final Year Plumbing Apprentice’s Experience

At 23 years old, Lachie is in the final stretch of his plumbing apprenticeship. With a qualification insight, he shares his experience and insights for others wanting to start an apprenticeship.

What made you decide to start your apprenticeship?

“I always liked building things and working with my hands and tools, probably because I grew up with my dad building and renovating houses.”

Was it difficult to get your apprenticeship?

“Personally, no, I already had a lot of contacts I could call who got me an apprenticeship starting the next day.”

What have been some challenges so far?

“Probably the low pay rate as an apprentice and trying to buy all my tools. They’re really expensive once you start adding it all up, not to mention buying a car capable of carrying everything you need. My first year, when I was 19, paid $13 an hour.”

What do you find rewarding about your apprenticeship?

“Getting to see the finished product of your work is really rewarding and it’s always fun on-site with all the other tradies having a laugh and getting through the day.”

What would be your advice for someone wanting to complete an apprenticeship after high school?

“If you’re getting into it after school, start as soon as you can. The faster you start the sooner you finish and find a company you enjoy working with. Your first year is always the hardest, so push through it.”

The ‘easy point of entry’ everyone talks about as one of the benefits of doing a trade isn’t so applicable to mature age apprentices. 

It’s not always an easy-in when you’re older, and that’s primarily because of the higher costs of taking on an adult apprentice – almost double the cost of a teenager. Because of that, it’s a little more difficult to find an employer who’s willing to take you on. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Here are three people who did it.

Billy, 45, First Year Carpentry

“Ultimately the thing that pushed me to start was that the role I was working in was causing me too much stress. I just needed to make a change. I thought, why not take the opportunity to do something that I actually enjoy doing. So I essentially changed careers.”

Hughy, 22, Second Year Plumbing

“It was initially hard to get my foot in the door, because a mature age apprentice costs nearly twice as much as a regular apprentice so you need a boss to really take a chance on you. I ended up getting my apprenticeship through a friend who referred me to their boss, as they were short on staff at the time.”

Richard, 23, First Year HVAC

“For anyone considering taking on an apprenticeship, I would say that it’s never too late to start it. Even though it’s a bit daunting, particularly with how low the wage is, it’s doable and worth sticking it out the few years to become qualified.”

Key Takeaways for becoming a mature age apprentice:

• Demonstrate your value and maturity to potential employers.
• Leverage your life experience and what you can bring to the table.
• Do your research and find out whether completing a pre-apprenticeship will set you ahead.
• Use your industry contacts to your advantage, and ask them to refer you to their employers.
• Have some money saved and a solid budget ready to go so you can cope with the wage decrease.
• As daunting as it might seem, it’s never too late to start.

Australian Apprenticeship Pathways also recommends that you:

• Look for jobs at large companies, because they are likely to be less concerned with paying higher wages.
• Contact employers directly by cold calling. This will give you an opportunity to demonstrate your initiative and outline your value to them, as well as minimising potential competition with younger applicants who won’t do this.
• As Billy suggested, find a solid way to market yourself to an employer. Give them reasons (financial incentives or otherwise) why you’re a better fit for them than someone younger.

Finally, don’t be discouraged if you’re struggling to get callbacks. It can be challenging to find an employer, but there are ones out there that will be open to giving you an opportunity.

1st Year Apprentice Wages:
Ages 16-20

1st Year Apprentice Wages:
Ages 21+ :

*All figures are approximate based on full-time employees, not working in Queensland, who don’t have any additional benefits or subsidies.

For more specific information regarding your minimum wage, check out Fair Work’s Pay Calculator.

There’s no question that apprentice wages are a struggle to live off, especially if you’re over 21 and have life’s many financial responsibilities resting on your shoulders. 

In times like this, it can be difficult figuring out if the risk of financial instability is worth it. But, before thinking you can’t pursue a trade – especially as a career change – because the wage decrease will be too steep to handle, it’s a good idea to look into the many financial support options that could be available to you.

Other loans and allowances you may be eligible for:

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a 13% decrease in the number of Australians starting a construction apprenticeship according to NVCER’s March Quarterly Snapshot. On top of this, the number of suspended apprenticeship contracts is at a record high.

To counter this, the government launched its economic response: the Supporting Apprentices and Trainees wage subsidy. While this subsidy doesn’t go directly to apprentices, it does go to employers who chose to retain or re-engage eligible apprentices and means they receive a 50% subsidy of the apprentice’s wage to keep them employed.

You can read about eligibility here.

While this subsidy won’t directly help get new apprentices employed, it may free up some cash flow for employers to take some on anyway.

COVID-19 has also meant the revised apprenticeships initiative, ‘Incentives for Australian Apprentices’, which was set to replace AAIP in June 2020, was pushed back until January 1st, 2021. This new initiative includes a reduced list of payment categories (from 31 down to 14), however, the 14 categories include additional financial incentives.

Regardless, financial incentives for employers who take on new apprentices (including mature age apprentices) do still exist, so employers won’t be too hesitant to take on new people. Plus, with the government pushing harder than ever for people to upskill in particular trades, pandemic or not, now is an ideal time to look into starting a construction career.

The construction industry will continue running, while many other industries, such as real estate, come to a standstill. The Prime Minister has stated that construction is an economic priority, and it is predicted that it will help pull Australia through the COVID recession.

Time for a Fresh Start?

Pursuing an apprenticeship in building and construction will likely be one of the most rewarding decisions you’ll make, and despite the COVD-19 pandemic, it remains a vital industry within Australia.

While it can be harder to secure employment if you’re making a career change later in life, it’s certainly not impossible, and pushing through the three to four-year wage decrease will lead to a financially sustainable and personally fulfilling career.

With apprenticeship commencements dropping, and completions barely over 50%, your opportunity to stand out and sign your apprenticeship contract with an employer is better than you might have thought – no matter what age you are.

If you’re keen to find out more about careers in construction, check out six common apprenticeship myths.