Construction hub goes live

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has launched a construction hub on its popular careers.govt.nz website to attract more people to the growing sector.

“We hope the career information in our construction hub will help a lot of people to consider working in the construction sector, and change people’s views on, and stereotypes about, career pathways and jobs in the sector,” says TEC Chief Executive Tim Fowler.

The hub contains a wide range of information about the construction sector, which the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation (BCITO) estimates will need an extra 57,600 people by 2026.

In 2017, only 2.5 percent of all school leavers went straight into construction-related qualifications/programmes, a trend consistent with previous years.

The hub outlines skills needed for a construction career, how to prepare while still at school, personal stories – it even includes tips and a video to help school students talk with their parents about their career choice.

The aim of the career hub is to help attract more school leavers, women, Māori and Pacific People to train and work in the construction industry.

“Only 11 percent of people training to work in the construction industry are women. We want to change that. There’s also significantly fewer Māori and Pacific People participating in construction jobs,” Mr Fowler says.

“We’re working with the construction industry to turn this around. It’s expected the construction industry will continue to grow for at least the next seven years and that means there will be thousands of jobs on offer. It’s an exciting career choice for school leavers from all walks of life.

“As well as that, the money to be made might surprise a lot of people – the median income for graduates three years after completing their training is $50,000.”

Last year the TEC invested $184 million in construction-based education and training.

The hub can be found at www.careers.govt.nz/construction.

ENDS

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