CFMEU Construction Secretary Dave Noonan welcomed the Federal Government’s announcement on support for a single system and wage increases for Australian apprentices.

 “The CFMEU also welcomes the proposal for competency-based, instead of time-served, progression for apprentices,” Mr Noonan said.  “However, competency-based progression must be assessed in the workplace, with workplace assessments such as operate in the Queensland scheme.

“Australia does not need trades training and assessment that takes place solely at institutions, such as TAFE or Colleges, with no on-the-job components.  That has already been trialled in the UK and turned out to be an abject failure, with graduates unable to find employment.

 “The Australian construction industry will be best served by ensuring that tomorrow’s apprentices and tradespeople are trained in a broad-based manner, which reflects the needs of the industry and the workers,” Mr Noonan said.

 Listen to what some of our CFMEU members are saying about their training experiences and what they want from training. Training/Members Stories