WA is desperate for tradies, and it’s offering home loans, cash and free training to get them

Amid a housing crisis in Western Australia, access to skilled workers has been one of the handbrakes on delivering new homes into the WA market for several years.

WA has experienced a shortage of skilled trades such as brickies, carpenters, electricians, tilers and plasterers just to name a few.

With a booming mining industry and significant major infrastructure projects occurring, on top of the huge demand for new housing, securing appropriately skilled workers is a challenge right across the state.

The lack of workers has had an impact on industry’s ability to deliver more homes faster, and impacts on affordability due to increased wages and timeframe blowouts for delivering new land and housing to the market.

Part of the solution to this problem is attracting more skilled workers to WA in the short term, while also fostering more young people into relevant areas of study or trades to build capacity in the local industry in the medium to longer term.

New loan product for apprentices

For those residing in WA, the State Government has introduced a range of incentives to entice people to choose a construction related trade, including the most recent announcement of a new Keystart loan product that is directly targeted at apprentices and graduates, the Skilled Start Home Loan.

The Skilled Start Home Loan is available for apprentices along with anyone who has, in the last five years, graduated from TAFE or university; completed their formal apprenticeship; or worked in eligible building and construction occupations as listed under the Government’s Build a Life in WA incentive.

This new loan product offers benefits including a one per cent discount on Keystart’s standard variable interest rate, along with free financial coaching for loan recipients.

The Skilled Start Home Loan is available for purchases of up to $750,000 for off-the-plan, under construction and new homes, or $700,000 for established homes. Those eligible must fall under Keystart’s existing income limits for singles and couples.

Further to this new product, the Construction Training Fund offers a range of support for apprentices including the annual $1000 Apprentice Support Bonus and the Apprentice Tool Allowance.

The State Government has also introduced fee free TAFE courses for those studying in areas such as welding, bricklaying, cabinet making, civil construction and many more.

There are also Australian Government incentives including up to $10,000 of financial support for eligible Australian apprentices in the housing construction sector. These payments are spread across the duration of the apprenticeship timeframe until completion.

Attracting trades to WA

If you are an Australian or New Zealander living outside of WA, the Build a Life in WA campaign is aimed at attracting more people with the right skills to come and live and work in WA.

Up to $10,000 in incentives are available for suitably qualified, skilled workers to move to WA. Those who meet the requirements can receive $5000 when they secure employment with an employer working in the building and construction industry in WA, and they can claim a second $5000 payment when they complete six months working in the industry in WA.

On top of the financial incentives, Perth has plenty of lifestyle appeal, with many people viewing the sunny climate, growing cultural scene, along with a booming economy as big drawcards to come to live, work and play on the west coast.

It can be a bit of a ‘chicken and egg’ conundrum when it comes to attracting more people to the state to build the homes needed, who will in turn all need a place to live.  But at the end of the day, the city can’t build anywhere near the homes it needs without the people with the right skills to build them.

UDIA WA advocates for longer term strategy

That is why UDIA WA has been greatly supportive of State and Federal Government measures to attract skilled migrants to Western Australia to date, as well as investment in training to ensure today’s apprentices remain in WA’s residential construction sector.

However, UDIA WA has also been advocating for the development of a state level Construction Workforce Attraction and Retention Strategy to bring together all the measures already underway, along with any further measures required, to ensure longer term sustainability of our workforce.

UDIA WA is continuing to work collaboratively with government to look at proactive ways to address the skills shortage through local workforce training and retention, coupled with attracting more people with the right skills.