Have you finished school and are not sure what’s next? Or considering a career change and not sure where to start… why not pick up a trade?
As Australia faces a nation-wide shortage in tradespeople, proposals are being put in place to get more people picking up tools and getting into trades.
Recent data from the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research revealed a 7.1 percent drop in apprentice numbers since 2023, resulting in 27,000 less workers in construction-related work including tradies, labourers, and drivers.
Due to the Federal Government’s plan to construct over one million homes across the country in the next five years, the demand is higher than ever to employ tradespeople.
The Greek Herald spoke with an apprentice and joiner to hear their experiences amid the shortage.
Young people in apprenticeships
Konstantinos Georgostathis, an 18-year-old apprentice from Canberra, completed his formal schooling in 2024, and took the first opportunity he could to get his hands on the tools as a cabinetmaker.
Now, currently enrolled with The Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), Konstantinos has committed to four years of hands-on experience and face-to-face classes.
“I decided to get into this field after trialling a couple of weeks in the workshop to see what it was like,” Konstantinos told The Greek Herald.
“I ended up really enjoying the work that a joiner does, and then decided to join the field.”
Konstantinos described his experience since commencing his apprenticeship.
“I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship as I am always learning new things every day,” he said.
“Some of the main things I do include assisting in installing cabinets in kitchens and bathrooms, as well as working on commercial jobs and delivering them to sites.
“One of things that I am enjoying about the field at the moment is the variety of work that I do, and how it’s always something different.”
The 18-year-old revealed his next steps following the completion of his apprenticeship.
“My ultimate career goal is to start my own joinery shop and employ my own staff,” Konstantinos said.
Owning a business in a tradie crisis
Pasquale Bono, the owner of Impressive Cabinetworks in Queanbeyan, NSW, has been in the cabinetry industry for over 20 years.
He revealed how he views the current situation and why we he thinks more young people should get into trades.
“Due to the tradie shortage, we’re really struggling to find young guys that are keen to learn the trade, just because there’s higher paying jobs out there. You do your apprenticeship, and you start on your base rate of $500 a week, or whatever it might be in different industries, whereas you can finish school and you can get a job in public service or the private sector, and you could be bringing home $900 a week,” Pasquale told The Greek Herald.
“However, what they’re not seeing is they’re limited to that most of the time. With an apprenticeship, it’s three or four years of hardship, but it pays off in the end and then they can start their own business or manage a workshop – there’s a lot of avenues.”
Pasquale said he takes on 3-4 apprentices a year, with aims to train them up and offer them fulltime work after their apprenticeship.
Shortages on the mend
The Queanbeyan joiner revealed that although his business has faced its challenges, its future is looking bright.
“There was a point where we definitely struggled, and up until now, we hadn’t been able to find decent staff for about three years,” Pasquale said.
“And we pay well, we pay better than other shops, just to try and get guys in, and it’s only really now that the trade in Canberra has really narrowed – there’s not a lot of work out there and we’re actually giving work to a lot of the other joinery shops to help them stay afloat, and some of the guys are folding and closing up due to the work shortage.
“We’re finding guys now just because there’s nowhere else for them to go, and we’re actually in a position where we can offer what we want to pay them, what they’re worth, rather than what they think they’re worth, because there’s not much work around. That’ll change again and it’ll get busier again, but yeah, it’s been a real struggle to find guys up until the last two months.”
Pasquale added that he’s been fortunate to have his business on the rise, with the capacity to employ more tradesmen and apprentices to keep the jobs coming.
“We’ve been so busy… so we must be doing something right,” he said. “I guess it comes down to our quality of work and we’ve got a good name too.”
