Building is booming around the region, but some apprentices are still missing out despite wage subsidies of $15,000 to get them working.
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For some builders, while money from apprentice wage subsidies is attractive, it's far from a free ride.
Owner of Jack Barker Constructions Jack Barker, said while he appreciates the wage subsidies, he's still not going to take people on lightly.
"It helps me, but it's not like I'll go putting apprentices on just to get payslips," he said.
"You need to have tradespeople. You can't just be having one builder or tradesman to three or four apprentices," he said.
"The reason I picked my blokes, my apprentices, is because I know them and they're hard workers," he said.
The irony of the situation is, while labour shortages arose during the pandemic, there's actually no shortage of people wanting to take up an apprenticeship, according to Mr Barker.
"I've had plenty of people who have rung us to do work and I give them a shot," he said.
"But most of the time they don't ring me back or want to come back ... they find it a bit too hard."
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According to Mr Barker this is a pretty common experience, when it comes to tradespeople looking to take on an apprentice. And he's not just being picky.
The amount of time and effort it takes to train an apprentice also prevents them coming in en masse, despite the wage subsidy.
Mr Barker said he can only take on a limited number of apprentices and maybe further down the track he'll think about more.
"Maybe in a year or two when one apprentice is nearly a tradesman," he said.
"When he's a bit more experienced then he can have his own apprentice."
At end of the day, as far as Mr Barker is concerned, many hands don't necessarily make light work.
He said he'd still prefer to have the right pairs of hands, than more.
"My apprentices are pretty switched-on and I can leave them and they do the work to the standard that I want," he said.
"I personally wouldn't be looking for more apprentices right now."
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Mark Kriedemann
I take a particular interest in industry, environment, science, and technology subjects. Besides studies in media, my tertiary education covers genetics, as well as International Relations. I therefore strive to draw links between these varying disciplines to give a comprehensive analysis of developments in industry, agriculture, and the associated politics.
I take a particular interest in industry, environment, science, and technology subjects. Besides studies in media, my tertiary education covers genetics, as well as International Relations. I therefore strive to draw links between these varying disciplines to give a comprehensive analysis of developments in industry, agriculture, and the associated politics.
