WA Labor to invest $58 million to cement construction workforce revival

A re-elected Cook Labor Government will continue to rebuild WA’s construction workforce, investing $58 million in new Free TAFE courses and apprenticeship supports.
  • Re-elected Cook Labor Government to fund new tranche of Free TAFE courses, saving future building and construction workers up to $1,915
  • $27 million to expand the successful Group Training Organisation wage subsidy program
  • $8.4 million to reintroduce the Adult Apprentice Incentive for the construction sector
  • $600,000 to establish a WA Builders Support Program

A re-elected Cook Labor Government will continue to rebuild WA’s construction workforce, investing $58 million in new Free TAFE courses and apprenticeship supports.

WA Labor’s $21.9 million Free TAFE commitment will mean Western Australians who enrol in a range of additional building and construction courses will save up to $1,915.

New Free TAFE courses to be offered under a re-elected Cook Labor Government will include:

  • Certificate III in Civil Construction
  • Certificate III in Plumbing
  • Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying
  • Certificate III in Wall and Ceiling Lining
  • Certificate III in Solid Plastering
  • Certificate II in Construction
  • Construction II in Construction Pathways

The seven new Free TAFE courses will be added to the list of courses already offered by WA TAFEs across industries including building and construction, early childhood, nursing and engineering.

A re-elected Cook Labor Government will also invest $27 million to expand the Cook Labor Government’s Group Training Organisation (GTO) wage subsidy program, providing opportunities for Western Australians to complete a building and construction apprenticeship and earn while they learn on the job.

This highly successful program assists small-to-medium-sized businesses with the cost of taking on an apprentice by covering the average estimated award wage of apprentices and trainees working in the building and construction industry. WA Labor’s commitment will boost the number of places from 775 to 1,000, which will include additional priority places to employ regional apprentices.

New funding will also reintroduce the Adult Apprentice Incentive to offer 400 places, supporting building and construction employers to meet the wage gap when employing an apprentice or trainee over the age of 21.

The $8.4 million initiative will help to address skills gaps and build WA’s skilled workforce even further with 100 places for adult apprentices offered per annum over four years.

A further $600,000 will be invested to support peak housing bodies in rolling out a new WA Builders Support Program, which will provide education and mentoring to help set new builders up for success, and continue to grow the industry’s capacity to deliver more homes.

This support will be on top of the Cook Labor Government’s investment in the Builders Support Facility, which has supported many builders with cash flow to complete unfinished builds and get Western Australians into their new homes sooner.

WA Labor’s commitments build on the Cook Labor Government’s record of rebuilding WA’s TAFEs, boosting course enrolments to record highs with affordable and Free TAFE to help meet the workforce needs of the State’s booming economy, and introducing successful initiatives tailored to growing the State’s construction workforce quickly.

This is in stark contrast to the former Liberal-National Government, which gutted WA’s TAFE sector, increased fees by 500 per cent, and caused enrolments to plummet – decisions that Western Australians have paid the price for in recent years.

Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:

“Over the past two and a half years, WA’s construction workforce has grown significantly by more than 24 per cent – adding around 25,000 residential construction workers."

“But we need even more workers to build homes and meet our State’s future housing needs."

“We will expand our Free TAFE offering to encourage future tradies to take up a range of key courses, saving them up to $1,915 on fees."

“New places will also be added to our successful GTO Wage Subsidy Program and Adult Apprentice Incentive if we are re-elected, creating fantastic opportunities for apprentices and trainees of all ages to learn while they earn on the job."

“Only WA Labor has a plan to train more Western Australians in construction trades to build more homes – and the WA Liberals have made it very clear they can’t be trusted on TAFE and training.”

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