Getting the training mix right requires input from all levels of the industry. Greg Cheetham outlines the process and encourages experienced tradespeople to share their experience.

Finding the right apprentice in the construction trades is hard.

Training is sometimes even harder, and getting agreement on what to include in the training is harder still.

The role of a skills service organisation (SSO) is to develop training packages that underpin the training curriculum across the nation.

Artibus Innovation is the SSO trusted to work with construction and property services industries to create training regimes that produce the necessary skills and knowledge.

The system operates through a range of committees, starting at the federal level with the Council of Australian Government (COAG) Industry and Skills Council.

This ministerial council takes advice from the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).

The AISC is made up of industry leaders, a peak body representative (rotating through the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group), and two senior public servants.

The AISC has a formal role in approving vocational education and training packages based on advice from industry reference committees (IRCs).

The IRCs ensure training packages meet the needs and concerns of employers, employees, training providers and people seeking training qualifications.

Essentially, Artibus Innovation works with the property services and construction and plumbing services IRCs to support the necessary skills and training. They communicate with industry through industry forums, web-based surveys and technical advisory groups (TAGs) to develop a range of training packages. This is where a lot of the grunt work is done.

The TAGs take industry advice and determine the skills and knowledge aligned to a particular role or occupation.

Training packages are made up of work-related courses from entry level Certificate I courses to Advanced Diploma, Graduate Diplomas and Graduated Certificates.

In general, a trade-based or apprenticeship course is at Certificate III level. Some courses have core and electives units, and others just have core units.

There are course completion rules: for example, a core with electives sometimes streamed into specialist skill areas such as joinery, stairs, formwork and the like. They are not aligned to years of study but are performance based, allowing students to study relevant units and progress at their own pace.

For more information on what is in the current courses visit www.training.gov.au for a detailed view.

Training areas
Since inception, Artibus Innovation has been working to review and update training products that support the following sectors:

• Building design
• Building and construction (certificate iv to advanced diploma)
• Carpentry and construction (entry level)
• Brick, block and stone work
• Plumbing services (drainage to hydraulic services)
• High-risk work (licences and qualifications)
• Swimming pools and spas
• Insulation
• Building services (painting, waterproofing, etc)
• Fire protective services
• Waste management
• Urban pest control
• Cleaning
• Real estate.

Artibus has several qualifications under review. Usually the aim is for a major review every five years. This is a complex process, requiring lots of discussion, negotiation and multiple approvals by IRCs to get a qualification up and running.

Probably the most significant for many readers are the carpentry and joinery qualifications. The current Certificate III in Carpentry was released in 2011 (with minor changes in 2013 and 2017).

With rapid changes in communications, business and manufacturing technology, construction materials and methods there is a need to keep training relevant.
The latest proposal for the Certificate III in Carpentry is to have 22 core units and eight electives. The latter are grouped into commercial, formwork or residential, plus a general range.

Many more qualifications are up for development or redevelopment, such as:

• Certificate III in joinery
• High-risk work
• Certificate IV to Advance Diploma in Building Construction.

More information is available at www.artibus.com.au/national-projects

Sheridan van Asch, executive officer at Artibus Innovation, says the above work is progressing and she encourages industry to become more involved through workshops and industry surveys. There is also direct contact via regular newsletters. Why not sign up?

Once the current qualifications have been updated, Artibus is keen to work with industry to explore and develop training products that support new and emerging skills requirements.

The future
In the Artibus Skills forecast released in April 2018, the main challenges and opportunities included:
Vital skills may be lost due to a decline in the number of older workers, and costs may rise because of fewer younger replacements.
The introduction of new technologies, digitisation and automation will affect lower-skilled jobs. Prefabrication is one example.
Increased demand for smart and green construction. Buildings must have lower operating costs and higher values to provide health and productivity benefits.

Opportunities
New technologies, and smart and green practices, require:

• New training, retraining and upskilling;
• New jobs and roles in sectors and industries, eg: building information management, 3D printed building components in concrete or plastics; and
• Development and integration into projects of energy-efficient building materials and products.

The full report contains projections on skill shortages and employment, and other visions for the future. It can be downloaded from: www.artibus.com.au/skills-forecasts/

To get the training mix right requires input from all levels of the industry. The knowledge and experience of trade practitioners is needed to help identify and meet skills requirements. So why not share yours?

It can only help you and the construction industry to maintain high-quality building practices that will mean a better future for the following generations.