Mentoring help for thousands of building and construction apprentices

A partnership between the federal government and peak industry body Master Builders will see thousands of Australian building and construction apprentices benefit from mentoring.

The Construction Apprenticeship Mentoring Scheme (CAMS) was launched yesterday (March 19) by parliamentary secretary for skills Sharon Bird.

Ms Bird said that the scheme was about pairing up young apprentices with mentors to help them overcome challenges and complete their training.

"Mentoring is great for apprentices but also important for the economy as Australia will need more skilled tradespeople in the future," Ms Bird said.

"That's why the Australian Government has allocated $3.4 million to the scheme and is working closely with Master Builders Australia."

Ms Bird said that only around half of all apprentices currently complete their training and mentoring is one way to turn that around.

The scheme helps to deliver the "skills the nation needs" and offers crucial support to young Australian Apprentices, Ms Bird said.

Chief executive officer of Master Builders Australia Wilhelm Harnisch said that apprentices face many unexpected challenges during their training and the support of an experienced volunteer mentor is "invaluable" to keep them focused and motivated to complete their apprenticeship.

"The value of work to be completed by the building and construction industry in the next ten years is estimated to exceed $2.4 trillion," Mr Harnisch said.

"CAMS aims to lift the apprentice completion rate to help industry avoid skills shortages and meet demand as activity resumes to normal levels."