Master Builders SA and its state government are connecting skilled construction migrants with employers to tackle workforce shortages
The South Australian government has partnered with Master Builders SA to boost the state’s construction industry workforce and help deliver public infrastructure and housing projects.
The $500,000 project dubbed Build Connect directly links trade and construction skilled migrants with employers in the construction industry.
Build Connect aims to deliver more than 200 employment outcomes through numerous tasks, including:
- engaging with at least 100 employers to develop partnerships
- matching skilled migrants with suitable employment vacancies
- providing participants and partner employers with recruitment assistance, support and coordination services
- in-person industry networking events to connect participants with potential employers, industry leaders and peers.
Onshore and offshore skilled migration can be a critical solution in the immediate term to tackle skills shortages in the construction industry, according to the state government.
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It will help meet demand for skills for new housing, commercial facilities and public infrastructure, including the T2D Project, a new women’s and children’s hospital and the state’s first large-scale hydrogen power station, electrolyser and storage facility.
“We’re entering a time of unprecedented opportunity to create a more prosperous SA – however, to seize the day, we must develop a more capable, skilled building and construction workforce,” Master Builders SA CEO Will Frogley says.
“We need to attract 30,000 workers to our industry over the next three years to meet demand, including 15,000 skilled tradies.
“The state government and Master Builders SA are already throwing the kitchen sink at trying to attract local talent into apprenticeships and other occupations through gateway programs like Born2Build, but we can’t hit those numbers without a concerted skilled migration focus.”
Build Connect is funded under the South Australian government’s Skilled Migration Talent and Industry Connection Program, which gives organisations in priority industry sectors the opportunity to unlock the potential of skilled migrants, access new talent and fill workforce shortages.
For more information, visit https://mbasa.com.au/buildconnect